The Tarnished Bell and the Black Rose
by IronButterfly12
Summary: Belle Chapman is your average student. The only thing abnormal about her is the hellacious scars upon her back from her stepfather's beatings at home. But what happens when her locker sucks her into a nightmarish realm? A realm where she becomes a personal servant to Phobos himself? What happens when he starts to fall for her? PhobosxOC! M Rated!
1. Chapter 1

_Here's one for ya! I HAVE A COAUTHOR! She's my friend MiKeiLo from DeviantART! And here's another!_

_An OC where Phobos takes his time on liking her! And Hell; Cedric, Miranda __and __Frost get along with her quicker! And it all starts with a portal in a locker…._

_No more spilling beans!_

_Here's the summary!_

_Title: _The Tarnished Bell and the Black Rose

_Summary: _Belle Chapman is your average student; goes to school, is a black belt in Shorin-ryu Karate, and sings in her choir. The only thing abnormal about her is the hellacious scars upon her back from her stepfather's beatings at home. She hides them from everybody; along with a somewhat suicidal nature. But what happens when her locker sucks her into a nightmarish realm? A realm where the monarch at first seemingly despises her, and makes her his personal servant? What happens when he changes his mind and starts a courtship? M for the same reasons as my other stories!

The Tarnished Bell and the Black Rose

Chapter 1

_Please…stop…._

That's all that echoed in the 17 year old's mind as she lay in bed, the moon casting a sliver of light upon her bruised form. Her pleas, as every night proved were falling on deaf ears. She finally stopped asking for his mercy this evening. Her stepfather got a good shot at her face; she had good sized bruise on her temple, but it was nothing her curly mop of raven hair couldn't hide.

She curled up tighter, even though she felt her ribs protest in painful demand. She grimaced, but she didn't dare cry out in her pain. If her mother heard her crying all she'd do was ignore it. Her mother was afraid; almost cowardly of her husband. It was no surprise she wasn't beaten; after all being a teacher at the elementary school would do that. And to make matters worse, her mother always warned her that if she said a word about this, she'd _let_ her stepfather kill her.

Her cat green eyes welled with tears. She wanted this to end. One more year and she would be free. She would be free to walk in the sunshine; to have friends, and maybe even a boyfriend who wouldn't be sick at the sight of the scars on her back.

_That would be the day he finally kills me…._she thought to herself.

Rolling over in pain, she decided to try to sleep. Maybe she could this time. Maybe that weird realm of dreams wouldn't pepper her thoughts with night terrors. Maybe, just maybe she could sleep and have a pleasant dream.

Her weary eyes closed, and she passed out.

* * *

><p>"BELLE! Get yer ass up! You're gonna be late fer school!" Her stepfather's voice called.<p>

Belle's green eyes opened, and she knew better than to argue. Wearily getting up, she walked to her shower stall, and started the day with a shower. After combing her hair and spending a couple of minutes of putting on makeup to hide the bruise, she dressed in her usual; the basics, a zipped hoodie three sizes too big, a tank top for comfort, a pair of medium fit jeans and her steel toed boots. She grabbed her backpack, and started downstairs when her mother's voice snarled in her ear,

"You better not breathe a word, Belle. Or else…."

Belle nodded, pulled her hoodie over her head and headed to school in the spring air. Soon it would be summer vacation, but her mind wasn't there. She didn't dare take as long as yesterday. The school called, stating she was late. Belle paid for it last night. Even though that man at the bookstore had been so kind and gave her a book. She promised she'd come back; but if she were late, she didn't want to think what would happen. She walked by, and saw the shop owner begin to open the store.

He turned and waved with a smile, and Belle waved back with a saddened look upon her face. Little did she realize the man was trying not to inhale the scent of blood. Cedric looked at this human, and all he smelled was injury. When her back turned to keep walking, he let the serpent sight kick in. He was shocked to see so many bruises and scars.

He knew Christopher Chapman was abusive, but his own flesh and blood? What was her mother doing about this? He remembered Belle very well; he gave a copy of _Dracula _to her because she not only needed it, but she wanted it for her own reading and that was something Cedric respected. Many a time he felt his heart want to take her in; to get her out of this hellacious situation she was cursed with.

_I'd spirit her away back to Meridian but alas; Phobos would butcher me on the spot for that. May Candracar protect her; Chapman can be brutal. _He thought to himself.

He watched her receding form, sighed, and walked into the shop. Little did he realize, that everything about the game was about to change.

* * *

><p>"Oh my God, here she comes.."<p>

"Do you think she's sane?"

"She dresses weird…_freak._"

As Belle walked into school, she felt eyes pry into her as she continued and the comments chased her. She didn't socialize so she was the unknown variable. No one knew about her; what she was like, what she was into.

No social life at all. She wanted them to stop staring; it hurt more than any beating her stepfather was capable of or the derogatory comments her mother gave her. She pulled her hoodie down and walked into the quiet, abandoned C 3 section of the school.

She unlocked her locker, not privy to the hum of powerful energy escaping from its depths. She didn't feel the zap that frighteningly resembled static electricity until her locker door swung open. A thin eyebrow raised; mayhaps she opened it too harshly? She shook her hand at the residual energy that had zapped her. It hurt like a knife wound. She went to go grab her book Ric Hoffman gave her, but suddenly, she felt paralyzed.

"Wait a minute…Crap….Why can't I move?" she breathed out in fear.

Suddenly it began to click as she felt herself being pulled into her locker. Her eyes widened in terror at the sight before her. A blue, swirling mass of energy just resting there in her locker and it was pulling her to it. All she could utter was,

"Crap, crap," It finally violently pulled her in and she cried out in terror, "SHIT!"

As soon as she was pulled through, the locker slammed shut, the loud crashing noise echoing throughout the corridor.

Belle was not privy to this however. She was plummeting through a lightened tunnel surrounded by crackling energy. Her hoodie was lost in the electricity, and she watched with horror as it was shredded before her very eyes. She covered her face as it disappeared and she was about to land. She felt herself crash upon stone. She thanked God she covered her face, but her arms and legs were scuffed. She groaned as she sat up, looked around, but what she saw made her freeze in nerves.

She was in some sort of cavern. The room was dimly lit by candles backed by a single torch. Although the torch glimmered fiercely, it wasn't enough to break the heavy darkness in the room. There was a pool in this cavern, but the water felt arcane. She felt nervous as she stood. This place felt off; something was terribly wrong. All she could ask before she felt her vocal chords freeze was,

"Where the hell am I?"

The water stirred ever so slightly, but not enough where Belle would have noticed. A man was under the depths, his eyes closed as he slowly resurfaced. But suddenly, he hesitated as his eyes opened in curiosity. The presence of the portal he ignored earlier had disappeared, but the curiosity turned to anger as he felt the presence of a woman within this sacred place.

_What is_ _this__? _He growled in his mind.

He slowly resurfaced, careful not to disturb the water and watch the intruder. His eyes widened in surprise at his unwelcomed guest's outlandish garb. The rebel leader had the same look to his clothes. He growled as he fully resurfaced. The rebellion grew bold; how dare they invade his most private place!? He moved silently but inhumanly fast, like a knife blade across water. He cleared the edge of the pool, and ran in for the kill. He was fifty paces near.

Belle finally caught the noise of water being disturbed. All she saw coming at her was a man with long pale blonde hair and a toned body. Although he was frighteningly attractive, he was only in only a towel, and she cried out with a blush,

"Oh, my Jesus!" he paused with an intimidating presence but all Belle could say while staring at him was, "Holy shit, dude…." Remembering her manners she shielded her eyes and said with a slight squeak, "**_Dude_**! You're in the buff!"

His eyebrow rose as his fists clenched and unclenched with anger. Her outlandish clothes and peculiar speech told him she was not from his plain of existence, but that damned vermin known as Caleb kept resurrecting himself in his thoughts. The rebel leader may have taught a selection of his group to speak like this, but he wasn't sure. There were two ways this could've happened, but for now, he would settle on finding out from this woman. After all if she lied, he would know.

"How did you get in here?" His voice coldly demanded.

Belle winced at his tone; it was like ice. Sharp as knives too; it was as if it could cut her to her very soul. She summed up her courage, and all she could do at first was lower her hand from her eyes. He was surprised to see a set of green eyes hiding behind raven locks; eyes as green as grass. It didn't lessen his anger, however; she _had_ violated his inner sanctum. Before he could demand why she had gone silent, she answered,

"I-I'm not sure! I fell through this blue swirly thing, and…here I am!"

His pale emerald eyes never stopped piercing her with their cutting gaze. Her catlike green eyes alive with flames of fear, through her gaze he looked thoroughly unimpressed. His eyes narrowed as his arms crossed, and all he said coldly again was,

"That was quite vague. I will not ask again; _how did you get in here?_"

"Hey! I honestly don't even know where here even _is_! I'm not even sure this is Heatherfield anymore!" Belle retorted with some hostility.

She was caught off guard at how strained she sounded. Even the man's outrage showed itself upon his elegantly carved face. It hardened back to angry stone, and he moved to where their faces were level, and Belle wanted to back away to give herself some space, but she was frozen with fear. The man gestured with his hand and said coldly,

"_Here _happens to be Hell! And we don't like unwelcomed strangers!"

"Then let me go home! So I'm not a problem!" Belle suggested angrily.

The man was slightly taken aback by her audacious behavior. Did she not realize whom she was retorting like this to? Did she really want to die? And better yet, did this rebel filth really think they could fool him into thinking she was from Earth? Hearing her suggestion, an amused but malignant chuckle rumbled in his throat, emanating off the walls of this cavern. He'd play her game for now. He said coldly,

"Ah, if it were only that easy…You see, you're in _my _realm now. And I decide who leaves, and who stays."

Belle felt fear lodge in her throat, but all she could do was still look into his cold demanding stare. And when she felt frustration finally boil over in her thoughts, the man moved back slightly, gently pulling at his beard as if stimulating thought. He said as if he were lost in thought,

"I'm still trying to figure out your punishment…"

"Dude, seriously?! It's not my fault some blue swirling thing _decided _I need to be here!" Belle snapped.

Snapped from his thoughts, Phobos was about ready to smite her for her attitude. But it finally clicked. She wasn't lying at all. This woman was in fact an Earthling. She had no clue who he was and where she was. But her insolent attitude needed to be corrected. Leaning into her again, catching her completely off guard he spoke in harsh whispers, practically spitting out the words like cobra venom,

"The 'blue swirling thing' was a portal…A blessed way of crossing the dimensions for those who know the way. For you however, it was a horrid fissure of fate." Huffing meanly and still staring her down, he asked with a cruel tone, "How do you plan to return to your home now?"

Belle felt panic at him being too close, but she avoided it. If what he was saying was the truth, she really was dead. Besides, no one on earth cared or even knew she existed! Who would notice she was gone? She couldn't let him know that. But her courage kept failing at the emerald fire in his eyes that was attempting to scorch her soul, and with remains of her courage, she said coldly,

"I'm not afraid of you or this place. I've seen worse…."

Her voice trailed off. He let her move away, but as he looked coldly at her back, his coldness vanished slightly at the sight before him. Her back although long and elegant past the baggy gray tank top was covered with scars. Thick knotty scars that resembled burn marks more than anything else that he had ever seen. He could also detect newer injuries; including on her ribs. He was floored but refused to show it. But yet, he couldn't stop staring at them.

Belle felt tears sting her eyes as he gazed analytically at her back. She wished the portal as he called it didn't shred her hoodie. It would have been easier to hide these atrocious disfigurements. Feeling his gaze still there she said coldly,

"Like I said, I've seen worse; in my own home." Turning after fighting away the tears, she said with a cold timbre, "Hell is _not _a foreign concept to me…"

"Surely…" His voice had a hint of irony and perhaps pity.

He pronounced the word with more annunciation than usual. It almost sounded seductive to Belle, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She could also feel something different about this man. Like a strange power lurking behind those eyes and a magical albeit sinister feel to him in a whole. She blushed lightly as his eyes went to analytical to almost caressing, as if they were curious about the layout, the feel of her scars.

If she weren't so humiliated by them she would be almost blushing harder.

"So…what are you going to do? Because if you kill me, death itself would be merciful as an end to this horrific chapter called my life. I have nothing back at home except my own personal Hell. So here's the answer to your question; I'm not going home. I guess I'm going to die here…"

She felt a smile creep into his face. Belle wondered if that smile was admiration or something else. But his tone for his response to her diatribe was less than admiring. He said with a cold tone,

"Death would be too easy. And I do not appreciate easy endings. And as to what I'm going to do? As your Prince, you will become my…._personal _servant. And besides," waving his hands and willing his robes back on he said as he grabbed her arm and began to lead her out of the cavern, "I'm going to enjoy breaking you into pieces…."

Belle gasped, but she slightly pulled away. He went to tighten his grip. But she slipped his grasp and snarled,

"I will follow you, _my Prince, _ but I don't need to be led out like a child!"

The man smirked, and gestured her to follow. She wanted to run, but she knew nothing of this place. Running could ultimately be her doom, so she did the one thing she didn't want to do. She followed him. As the light of the cavern faded and the corridor's torch lights grew stronger the man approached another woman, and ordered,

"I need this woman dressed appropriately; she is new, so give her a…light course of what is expected of her."

"As you wish Prince Phobos…." The woman said respectfully with a low bow.

He turned and walked away. Belle watched him walk way in his black robes and red epaulets. She wasn't thrilled of her predicament, but much like the years past she would make due. As the woman took her to the servants' dressing room, she began to strip Belle's clothes away, much to her chagrin. Belle wanted to resist, but when the woman fixed her a steely glint in her eye, she reconsidered. She had in hand a white peasant's blouse and a brown laced up skirt. She almost dropped them at the sight of Belle's back.

"My goodness, what happened to you, lovey?!" she whispered in shock.

Belle stood there with her back and body exposed a blush upon her face. She snatched the blouse and the skirt and quickly donned them. She wanted to refuse to tell the woman, but all she snarled out was,

"It's nothing."

"Child, I highly doubt that. Now," Pulling out a waist high corset and beginning to tie it, she stated, "You're not the only woman who was assigned as the Prince's personal attendant. I must warn you now; it's not an easy task. You must lose that attitude you have if you wish to survive; you wouldn't be the only one he has killed. You always address him as 'My prince' or he _will _become irate. And if he calls you; do _not _ignore him. He'll kill you without thinking twice. You're not valuable to him, so therefore you are dispensable. Is that clear? "

Belle nodded. She was just basically backed into another abusive situation. Go figure. As the woman tightened the corset she relearned to breathe; thank God for her martial arts training. All that crossed her mind as she was being handed her first assignment,

_Well, this sucks._

* * *

><p><em>WOOT! Got chapter one done!<em>

_Now to work on chapter two! It's going to be mostly castle stuff. No Guardians, really! So; prepare to meet some new sides to the players! ;D_

_Now to go harass MiKeiLo!_


	2. Chapter 2

_WOOT! Onto the chapters!_

The Tarnished Bell and the Black Rose

Chapter 2

Belle had never been so tired in her entire life.

After learning and watching the other woman who called herself Trill, she had learned the Prince's room, where it was and how to get to it. She also learned that Prince Phobos had an alarm bell for the servants to wake up to, and the Prince would not be ignored for anything. There was so much more, and it was too much to take in at once. She needed to practice her kata, or her form, but her mind was whipped from the lessons.

She promised she would rise before the sun rose to practice.

She was about to walk into the servant's quarters to finally pass out, but a guard stopped her. Belle felt a little miffed, until the guard looked at her and growled,

"The Prince will not have you sleep here."

Belle felt nervous. Where was she to sleep? Anywhere to sleep would be alright, but now she was more curious than nervous. She averted her gaze as Trill had told her to, and said with a forced humility that was awkward on her tongue,

"Where would the Prince have me sleep?"

"He would have you sleep in his quarters. I suggest you get there now." The guard suggested with irritability flowing in his tone.

Belle didn't hesitate, but as she headed to the location she felt fear. Why would he, the one who wanted to break her personally want her in his room? She chuckled bitterly; she answered her own question. Better to break someone when they're close by than when they're apart. She followed the portraits of nightmarish scenes, almost privy to the screams of the subjects. She finally found the one with the rose vines wrapping around a pillar, and she followed the stairway.

She finally reached the door. The door was a light wood encased with iron in the wrought form of curly cues and roses. She stood for agonizing seconds, then took her slender hand, and knocked three times. She felt fear as it was quiet for a few minutes. Then suddenly, before she could even think of turning to leave, a pleased purr rang out with the single words,

"Enter."

She opened the door slowly, and walked inside.

The room was as she remembered it, a large sprawling space dedicated to seemingly Edwardian fashions and the colors black and red. The torches barely illuminated the room, but Belle knew it pretty well enough that she was now standing on the rug that she had remarked as Oriental, much to Trill's confusion. Hearing a slight noise, she turned only to see Phobos staring her down.

She averted her gaze as Trill had instructed. He laughed lightly at her attempts of humility. He began to circle her, inspecting her clothes with his eyes. Belle felt nervous; it was like being circled by a tiger analyzing its next meal. The way his eyes were cutting into her, it made a light flush creep into her face. What happened next she was not anticipating.

Phobos stopped and gazed upon her back. The back of the shirt unbeknownst to her was open; as he commanded all to have done. As he circled his hand lightly caressed her scars, making her jump in shock. The back of the shirt was open?! Feeling her reaction and watching her eyes dance, Phobos caught her gaze and unlike before, Belle couldn't avert it.

_Oh, man…I am so dead! _Belle thought to herself.

He circled her again, his hand gently but firmly caressing her back. With each touch, Belle felt more and more fearful due to him not removing his eyes from hers. His touch wasn't bad, but it sent shivers down her spine. But if she didn't avert her gaze, surely he would take offense. His eyes wouldn't let her look away, and finally with a light caress down her back the corset was removed and fell from her body.

Belle bit her lip to fight the gasp screaming to escape her throat. Phobos moved to in front of her, a smile of sorts upon his face as he willed his robe to fall from his own form. Bell lightly gaped at his form, and with a harsh blush she looked away. She closed her eyes, waiting for him to do whatever it was he going to do. A smirk lit up his face, and a sleeping robe formed from shadows. Belle watched, stunned and still blushing heavily. He lazily moved to his bed, and grabbing a pillow and blanket, he tossed it to the floor near the head of the bed. He said while lounging into his bed,

"Make yourself comfortable; that corset looks difficult to sleep in."

Belle walked silently to the spot she assumed she was to sleep in. She curled up under the blanket and hugged the pillow, and waited for him to fall asleep. she had just been what the internet geeks back at school called 'Trolled'. No surprise. The hours passed, and finally Belle heard Phobos' heavy breathing tell her he was asleep. She looked out the window, seeing a single star glimmering in the sky. She felt a tweak of some unknown emotion as she gazed at its singular luster in the sky. The only star in the velvet black of night; it must've been lonely. She felt her vision swim. She was too tired for this.

Rolling so her back faced the bed posts and the window, she went to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>The room was dark within the exception of a violet light that barely illuminated a throne room. Belle stood there, seemingly rooted to the spot. Looking to the windows she saw that one lonely star from the real world. This felt wrong; as if the nightmare she thought she was having was being deceptively nice. She wanted to call out; to ask anything. But her throat froze as she felt the creeping of rose vines upon her body. Instinct said to run, but interest said to stay and see what would happen.<em>

_In the end, curiosity would ultimately kill the cat._

_The vines raveled higher, digging deep into her skin. She hissed in pain, went to move, but she was still rooted to the spot. She cried out as they dug into her chest, only to feel painful relief at their pause at her throat. Sweet relief rang out in a sigh, but the nightmare was far from through._

_The shadows writhed in a sinuous dance, and the flowers upon her bonds opened up releasing an intoxicating scent. She felt herself relax despite the situation and felt panic. Belle closed her eyes in terror, only to feel her feet leave the ground as she was pulled back to the real world._

* * *

><p>Belle gasped out quietly into the night. She grimaced in light pain. Dreams never induced pain. Was this the norm for this realm? To feel the pain and suffering even in the realm that was supposed to relieve it? She groaned lightly, got up, and headed for the door, but something made her look back. The one star glowed, and the full moon that was not there was illuminating his sleeping form. She had to guess it was around the wee hours of the morning.<p>

Slowly and gingerly, she walked out of the room.

She hadn't gone down a quarter of the hallway when she bumped into someone. Quickly uttering an apology, she moved to head away from them, when a stunned voice she recognized off the bat whispered,

"Belle?"

Her eyes widened in fear.

"Ric?" she whispered in shock.

She looked at him only to take in his robes and his face. He was dressed almost as similarly as the Prince; except he had greens and browns, much like a serpent's skin. His eyes were alive with shock. So were hers. All they could whisper in unison as they gawked at each other was,

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

Cedric backed away. Belle was here; how in the name of God did she get here!? The prince never let uninvited beings into his realm! Forcing a slightly awkward smile upon his face, Cedric whispered back, knowing the prince was still sleeping,

"_I _happen to live here….How did _you_ get here? Better yet, how are you still alive?!"

Belle looked away with an undertone growl. Everyone had been asking that. What she had been given to understand was that her existence was very fortunate; had Prince Phobos decided to kill her, well she wouldn't be here discussing with Ric how she got here. She said with some aggrivation,

"Like I told the Prince, I was dragged through a portal! From my locker! And I don't know how I'm still alive….He made me his personal servant, so I don't know how long _that _will last!"

"Do as he says and nothing more. Trust me; if you want to live, you need to do exactly as your instructor told you. I take it Trill started you off?" Cedric said calmly.

Belle's eyes widened. He knew? Well; he really did live here. Cedric lightly laughed at her expression. All he could see in her face was fear, and confusion. But a part of him was glad she was here; now her father couldn't hurt her any more. He said with a soft tone,

"Meet me back here when you finish your duties," A guard came into view and Belle instinctively averted her gaze as he falsely snarled "And don't be late about it!"

He walked away and Belle felt a little better. At least she wasn't alone now. She headed past the servant's quarters and headed to the balcony that Trill had shown her. She brushed by the curtains and gazed at the moon. It was fading into the clouds, and that one lonely start still glimmered, trying to vainly stay lit through the purplish black storm clouds. _A perfect atmosphere_, as her sensei Itayoshi would have said.

Closing her eyes, and imagining the song her sensei played in the dojo (called _The Moon on High_) she began. She relaxed into stance practicing Tekki Sandan, relaxing into the form. At first the skirt was difficult to maneuver in and the balcony, although spacious was a claustrophobic's worst nightmare she still perfected the elegant, yet lethal dance. Her sensei would have been proud. Relaxing into cat stance, she quickened her pace and continued with raw power through breathing.

Little did she realize she was being watched.

A girl with straight, black hair was wandering the halls when she caught out of the corner of her eye a shadow from the curtains. She let her eyes narrow; was one of the rebels really being that stupid? She gently pulled them back only to see a servant doing a strange set of motions with her body. She watched as the girl moved with a grace that made her admire the muscles that were toned yet powerfully flexing.

_Was this servant a warrior before she came here?_ The girl wondered in curiosity.

The servant girl, seemingly lost in her own world, finally slowed the movements, and with a final graceful bow and final breath, she ended the strange dance. The only way Belle would've known she had company was when the girl clapped with enthusiasm.

She startled and looked at the girl before her. A little shorter than her, Belle swore she was a child until she saw the eyes and the attire. Her eyes radiated an older persona and the clothes said much like Ric this girl was another figure of authority, so before the words escaped her mouth, she fought them back. The girl's eyes may have radiated ancient history, but her eyes were also sparkling with curiosity. She asked with brimming intrigue,

"Were you a warrior at one point?" walking around Belle and catching the scars, her eyes lit up, and she added, "You seemed to have survived many battles! I think you should show me that wonderful dance!"

Belle felt herself blush a little in embarrassment and a cheesy smile crossed her face. But the last statement sounded like a command. So with a small smile and a bow, Belle said with a new bounce in her voice,

"Alright; I can show you. My Sensei on Earth-"the girl gasped, and another smile furrowed her face as she pressured, "You're from Earth, eh? So are you human? And what is a sensei?"

Belle laughed lightly at the bombardment of questions. The girl was curious, but inside she felt the beast try to lure Belle into a fight. She wanted to see what this girl was capable of. If she were a warrior, she should be able to hold her own. Belle answered back with a slight smile,

"Yes, I am human, and a sensei is a teacher of the combat system known as Martial Arts! The type of Martial Arts I practice is called Karate. If you still want to learn, I would be honored to teach you!"

"You bet I wanna learn! My name is Miranda! What's yours?" the girl asked while extending her hand.

Belle took her hand, only to feel the sheer power and strength the girl exhumed. Was she human? She couldn't tell anymore. Belle felt a little afraid, but still shook Miranda's hand and introduced herself,

"My name is Belle; it's a pleasure to meet you Miranda!"

Before Miranda could respond the servant alarm went off. Grimacing, she growled under her breath. That alarm would be the death of her hearing. Looking at Belle, she said with an aggravated growl,

"Meet me back here on your break….If you can! Don't keep me waiting if you can break away from your duties!"

Nodding, Belle rushed off back to the prince's room. Her day hadn't even started yet, and she was booked! And to top it all off, she had to attend to Phobos, and meet with Ric after her day was done! Was there time to even breathe?!

This was going to be one hell of a day.

* * *

><p><em>MUWAHAHAHHAHAHAAHH!<em>

_Chapter 2 is done!_

_Gah! lol_


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay no reviews so far! It's all good! But I promise; I will update the other two! I SWEAR TO GOD!_

_Now onto this!_

The Tarnished Bell and the Black Rose

Chapter 3

"Is there anything else you need, my Prince?" Belle asked.

"Hmm. No…You are free to do as you wish…..For now." Phobos said lazily.

Belle bowed, and walked out of the room. The prince had her do the laundry drop off; bring him his breakfast, and basically doing anything he wanted. He was off to the throne room, wherever that was and she was finally free after five hours' worth of work. She followed protocol and let the door gently shut. She wandered the hallways until she found the spot Miranda told her to meet. Oddly enough it was deserted.

She turned, only to block a punch from Miranda's fist. Miranda smiled as Belle aimed a high kick to the shoulder, and connected. She slid back a bit, a grin of upmost joy upon her face. The girl Belle _was _strong; and fast too! She ran upon the wall, aiming to grapple Belle to the ground, but she dodged Miranda quickly. Belle looked with some shock; her assumption that Miranda was not human was correct. She smiled; a challenge indeed.

"I'm glad you sensed me; I was about ready to kill you!" Miranda said jovially.

"Glad you missed me then!" Belle said with a laugh.

Miranda charged, showing Belle how fast she really was. She saw a slight blur in place of Miranda, and she blocked amazingly well Miranda's assaults. Miranda was surprised when she landed a snap kick in Miranda's stomach. Miranda hit the ground, and a smirk lit her face. She said with a happy tone,

"You're the first one to ever land an attack on me! You really _are _good at this! Now," Moving fast and hitting Belle across the face with a hellacious punch, she said with a jovial tone as he watched Belle stagger, "Let's see how you dance with _me!_"

She moved, only to pause at the guards rushing into their spar. Looking at them with rage, she growled under her breath. She forgot; the guards didn't take well to servants doing what Belle had done with her. Usually she'd let the servant take the lashing, but this one was different. She held her own against her; and that even in Miranda's mind was to be respected. The guards restrained Belle, and Miranda growled in anger,

"Let her go! I commanded her to attack; I wanted to see what she could do!"

The guards hesitated, and finally let Belle go after minutes of awkward silence. They walked away at Miranda's command. Belle looked at her with some quiet reserve. She felt her cheek become sore where Miranda connected, but a wry smile crossed Belle's face. That was fun! Looking at Miranda, who still looked a little huffy, she asked,

"Do you still want to learn the form?"

Miranda's face brightened a little. Nodding, she stood waiting for Belle's instruction. Belle walked around her and began to correct the stance. Miranda raised a brow, but weirdly she didn't question or fight the servant as she adjusted the way Miranda stood. She explained as she kept correcting,

"You need to be more relaxed in the knees. It'll make transition of weight much easier. Slightly bend them into position; when we get to the motions you'll thank me later!"

As she stood next to Miranda, the girl had to wonder what this correction was all about. Was there a secret to it? It made her relax, which Miranda wasn't keen of doing, but her muscles adjusted. Belle started the motion with the customary bow, which Miranda quickly followed. Belle said softly as they returned to the starting position,

"Follow me in movement…."

She started with the motions, which Miranda at first warily followed. But as she discovered it was much easier for her than it would've been anyone else, she followed. Her position as Belle had pointed out was in fact the key to surviving. If she had been doing this tense it would've been much more difficult. Belle only corrected her once, and it was with the knees. Miranda paused when they reached the end, only to catch the scent of Cedric. Growling at being disturbed, she snarled out,

"Lord Cedric, this is not a good time!"

"Actually it's the perfect time… I was looking for Belle anyway. Thank you for helping me find her Miranda." Cedric said with an amused tone.

Miranda rolled her eyes, and Belle stopped the motion. Miranda looked angry, and Belle had to wonder why her anger was such a frightening presence. Was it because Miranda wasn't human? She didn't have time to ponder. Cedric said softly so he didn't catch anyone else's attention,

"Come with me."

Miranda huffed, and followed, Belle hesitantly close behind. She was wondering how far they'd have to go, when they arrived to a room. Cedric checked to make sure no one was present, and gestured them to come inside. Miranda and Belle followed, and Cedric shut the door tightly. The room was quiet, mildly furnished and the scent of books filled Belle's senses.

"Now Belle, I must ask; how did you manage to survive Phobos' wrath?" Cedric asked while stoking a fire in the hearth.

Belle felt a little hesitant. He addressed him by his name; if Trill literally was in ear shot, Belle would get a beating from Hell. Should she address the Prince here by his name? Miranda, sensing her hesitation, said with a calm tone as Cedric started making tea,

"Don't worry; what we say doesn't leave here. You can call him clown eyes for all we care!"

"Just don't say it within his listening range." Cedric advised.

Belle relaxed.

"I don't know how I survived Phobos; a part of me wished he did kill me. After the shit I've seen, death woulda been nice! But no; "Death is too easy." Fuck him, and his easy too!" Belle growled towards the end.

Miranda took her tea, and Belle followed. Miranda was floored; Belle survived his anger. No one ever did that within the exception of Cedric! And he barely even survived those ordeals! Sipping her tea, she said with a laugh,

"Well; looks like your "pissing the Prince off daily" record has been challenged, Cedric!"

"Haha, very amusing Miranda. So where did you get thrown to Belle; in other words where did the portal go?"

Belle looked at them both. She felt a tinge of a blush cross her face. Cedric paused and sipped his tea. Miranda followed suit, but both nearly choked and spewed their tea when she said sheepishly,

"It was the private springs…"

Miranda recovered quicker. Cedric was still having a hard time handling his tea that was attempting to choke him. Looking at Belle as if she were some kind of divine entity for being flung into that room, she whispered with stunned admiration,

"You _are _lucky to be alive! Had that been me I would've been dead and six feet under!"

"He didn't kill you on the spot…I'd ask what fever attached itself to him, but I think _he_ wouldn't even know!" Cedric gasped through the tea.

Belle giggled. These two were interesting characters indeed. But Miranda and Cedric's words made her wonder. If he would've killed anyone else, why did he spare her? Was it because she voiced she wanted to greet Death? She stated angrily as she went back to her tea,

"Yea well, I still think he's stoned myself!"

Cedric chuckled; Miranda looked clueless at the terminology. Looking at Belle, she asked as Cedric prepared more tea,

"What does 'stoned' mean? Is it like some kind of torture?"

Belle choked on her tea laughing. Miranda let her eyes narrow, but as Belle recuperated, she was still having fits of giggles. Miranda asked with a slightly aggravated tone,

"Why do you laugh? It's a serious question!"

"What I meant by 'stoned' is that he's under the influence of drugs! So yes; if you're the stoner it can be classified as torture! I should teach you more than the martial arts; maybe I can show you earth slang!" Belle answered jovially.

Miranda processed, and then a smirk lit up her face. That kind of knowledge could make life oh so much easier! And, she could finally translate what Cedric was saying; even though snake breath was a language onto his own. Smirking still, she said happily,

"Count me in!"

A knock sounded upon the door, and Cedric seemingly inhaled with a sigh. Before Belle could ask, he said with an aggravated tone,

"Come in Frost; you're late as always!"

Belle felt a brow rise. How did Cedric know? Looking at him, his violet eyes were almost serpentine with agitation. Belle felt fear lodge itself into her throat. Was anyone in the room human besides her?! The door opened, and a bulkily muscled tall man with pointed ears and white blonde hair walked in, his armor clanking with his movement. A flask of mead was in hand, and a tired and disgruntled look was upon his face. The man called Frost growled under his tired breath,

"Not _my _fault the rebels decided to hit the mines today….This mead will be a God send after what happened!"

"What did they do now?" Miranda growled into her tea.

"They decided to kill a bunch of guards by making a section of the mine flood; but I think they're becoming suicidal! They lost a third of their men too…. Counterproductive if you ask me." Frost said before sipping his mead.

Looking at Belle from the mead flask, he growled out,

"Who's the upstart?"

"This would be Belle; she's a new servant." Cedric explained.

Miranda sipped her tea. Frost; always blunt and to the point. Looking at Belle who didn't seem uncomfortable, she sipped her tea again. Frost looked at Belle analytically, but suddenly his gaze softened. He knew who this was now. The guards were talking about a black haired girl who was holding her own against Miranda when he returned from the suicidal end run from the rebellion. He sipped his mead, and he asked,

"So; you were a warrior, eh? What was your specialty?"

"Hand to hand…Although I can use a bow staff and scythes!" Belle said sheepishly.

"Hand to hand; right. So I heard you also fought spiderling here!" Frost said while patting Miranda congenially upon the back.

"Do _not_ call me spiderling! I _will_ beat you, Frost! Right, _snake breath?_" Miranda said with a smirk.

Belle looked at Cedric. Spiderling? Snake breath? Cedric sighed. He was hoping they wouldn't have done this. Now Belle was curious. Looking at Belle and before the words could even escape her lips, Cedric stood, and stated to a very confused Belle,

"Miranda and I are shifters; those are our…..nicknames for each other."

Belle didn't question. She knew Miranda wasn't human; no one could hit that hard and be human! But what kind of shifters were they? Miranda stood at the level of tension, and said apologetically to Cedric while invoking the moon god,

"Oh, Gaahn! I wasn't supposed to say that; I'm sorry Cedric!"

"Well, now she knows; shall we show her what we are then? After all, she'll see more of this as she stays here…." Cedric said cautiously.

Miranda nodded and they stood next to each other. Miranda gave Cedric more room; after all with his other side's mass, he would need it. Belle blinked, but as the air took on a hum of sorts, they began to change. Miranda's eyes began to glow a strange blue, and her hair swirled with a devastating and unspoken power. Her limbs lengthened and black fur grew as nails grew to dangerous sharp lengths.

Cedric's body lightly convulsed and twisted as nails grew longer and much sharper. Both of their teeth grew massively larger and sharper and Cedric began to develop scales. Belle looked on, almost enthralled by their change. In the end, Cedric had become the monster he always hid. The giant serpentine body was as thick as an oak tree, and his humanoid upper half was monstrously built. Miranda had become the spider she so closely resembled. Belle was floored. They really weren't human….

"Now you know….What do you think?" Cedric hissed.

Reaching from her side, Belle snagged Frost's mead horn and stole a sip, causing a chuckle amongst the three. Belle laughed with them, but nervously. She was in the company of monsters. Did this mean Phobos was one too? She shook her head. Perhaps she was better off this way; after all, she had friends now it seemed.

Did this mean part of her wish was in some weird and twisted way coming to pass?

* * *

><p>After hours of hanging out with Miranda, Frost and Cedric, Belle felt a strange swell of happiness as she headed back to the prince's chambers. She was tired yes, but she had to wonder if this was all real and if this strange fairy tale like atmosphere was in fact a dream. As she neared the tower, depression of the highest level crept in. Although she had acquaintances she was still alone.<p>

Just like the star in the sky from this morning.

Tears stung her eyes; if this was his idea of breaking her, he was succeeding. She felt she had friends but she couldn't be too sure. Did he know what she felt, and was he toying with her? Her voice called out to her to sing, and she heeded it. A requiem would do; it would do just fine. Verdi would be the best. So without consideration of what could happen, she opened her mouth and began to sing,

_Agnus Dei…Agnus Dei. Qui tolis peccata mundi..Dona…Dona eis, dona eis requiem.._

Her clear, trained soprano rang throughout the castle without her realization. Some of the servants stopped to listen; even two guards marveled at the clarity and purity of her saddened voice. She continued, forgetting where she was, and not realizing the entire castle was her audience, holding onto the very pure essence of her song.

_Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei…Qui tolis peccata mundi… dona, dona eis dona requiem sempiternam.. _her voice pleaded in clear soprano.

Yet, she was not alone as she suspected.

Wandering the marble halls dedicated to the horrific imagery and doom laden atmosphere he created himself, Phobos felt his feet pause. A thousand voices rang out in curiosity. Curious himself he listened, only to hear one voice ring out in strange song. The other voices dissipated and this one rang out in saddened melody. It was sung in an old, ancient and forgotten language; sung in the most angelic voice Phobos had ever heard. He felt the castle itself seemingly weep at the sadness this angel seemingly poured into its lyrics. He gripped the wall with the emotions pouring into his heart, but what surprised him most were her emotions. He could _feel _them. He wanted to hear more of this.

He gasped in disappointment as the song stopped. What made him even more stunned was his hand over his chest; his heart was beating in a fierce waltz. Gripping his black robes with disappointed agony, he finally let himself enjoy and embrace this. And without his knowledge, his lips formed the words as his soft, malignant, and powerful tenor eased from his throat, calling the angel out in hope to hear it again.

Belle was floored to hear a tenor call out in the lyrics she had sung. Her eyes widening, she sang again, her soprano making a sweet, and powerful undertone as she followed the tenor. Phobos felt his heart skip a beat as the female voice returned. He felt his voice rise in projection as he followed the soprano coming closer. The walls were trembling at the very power their voices created. His robes softly touched the marble floor as he quickened his pace, to satiate his primal need to see the angel who stepped from heaven into his own personal hell.

Belle and he finally met in the corridor. Their eyes met in shock. Quickly, she averted her cat like gaze and the song fell from their lips into obscurity. Phobos was stunned; even if he had the slightest idea who the angel was, he couldn't deny that the powerful attraction that formed from their voices wasn't uncomfortable. Even she knew; her gaze averting was all he needed to know. He himself felt this kind of familiarity very uneasy.

It was as if they had exposed themselves in the most intimate manner.

"Forgive me, my Prince…." Belle whispered fearfully.

Phobos flinched. Part of him felt hurt at her sudden change. He wanted her to look upon him; to address him with the bold familiarity they had just exhibited. He wanted it! Yet, he didn't dare command it. Enraged at his sudden display of weakened desire, he turned and walked down the hall, leaving a shaken and nearly crying Belle. She really was alone, and if this incident wouldn't have been her death, she would've begged him not to leave.

_What's happened to me?_

* * *

><p><em>WOOT! Chapter 3!<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay. Time for Belle to show how human she truly is! She's gonna be hurt; badly! The rebels are storming; need I say more?!_

The Tarnished Belle and the Black Rose

Chapter 4

Belle had never been so miserable.

A week seemingly passed after Belle and Phobos had last spoken. Little Belle realized, she had been on this plain of existence for three months, and the incident in question was another week. She felt miserable about the situation with Phobos; miserable enough where she wouldn't sing again.

She would do as he asked, and he would coldly tell her to leave. Even the guards were warmer in their reception of her. She was now convinced Phobos hated her for the incident. Maybe it was better that way, but Belle couldn't get his singing voice out of her head. It would haunt her at night; she couldn't sleep in fear of hearing it again. Cedric had been kind in letting her have tea in his apartments, but whether or not he knew of her depression was up for debate.

It even showed when she and Miranda practiced the Karate forms, and Miranda was a quick learner. Belle would praise her for the ability she possessed but, even now that was fading off. Today it was even worse; every time she asked Belle what was wrong, Belle regressed deeper into herself. Sighing as they finished the form, Miranda finally stated,

"When you are ready, please tell me what's going on! Your depression is contagious!"

Belle nodded, and as they were about to part ways for the evening, Miranda paused. Her sense of smell caught the whiff of another human; several of them. Instinct told her to listen and she heeded it. Her eyes widened as footsteps by the hundreds sounded. Belle felt her friend pause. She turned back, and saw as Miranda went rigid with anger.

"What is it?" Belle asked.

A clashing noise sounded below. Belle recognized the noise to be metal on metal. Her eyes widened as she realized there was something seriously wrong was afoot. She heard Miranda mutter, "Damn it!" and watched her take off. Belle followed, wishing her skirt would let her run faster. She heard the servants around them panicking as they wove through the crowds of them. Belle couldn't help but think of them like herds of chickens being chased by a cat. Listening as she pursued Miranda, all she heard were the words "Rebels!" and "Invasion!" in panicked voices. Seeing a spear and a similar sabre used by Chinese Martial artists, Belle grabbed them. They could be helpful in keeping her alive.

Finally catching up to Miranda, Belle stood next to her, much to Miranda's shock and chagrin. Miranda looked at Belle's weapons. They may have been useful for a human, but Miranda growled; the rebels were on their way up here! Belle was going to die if she stayed! She snarled as the rebels grew closer,

"What are you, insane?! Go with the servants! You'll be safer there!"

"To Hell with that; I am not the coward I used to be! My place is here with you, Miranda! "Belle snapped back.

Miranda was taken aback. What did she mean by that? And was she seriously going to defy Miranda's orders?! A smirk, followed by a grin filled Miranda's face. Apparently she was. They couldn't wait for back up; they would be swarmed and the rebels couldn't gain any more ground. Looking at Belle she asked,

"What is your plan? There are hundreds of them; I can take a good amount! What are _you _going to do?"

"I am going to fight as many as possible. I may even kill a few. We have to make them hesitate until the guards or Prince Phobos shows up…. " Belle responded coldly.

"I might not be able to save your hide if you get hurt…" Miranda warned.

The thunder of several people coming through the halls rumbled through their ears. Belle raised the miraculously light sword, only to remember the sword was not her specialty, and she would not be able to move as effectively. She tossed it into the corridor facing the east. Miranda let herself shift, a snarling growl raging through the spider's throat. Belle was focusing on the entranceway to the western corridor. Twirling the spear like the naginata she had studied on the side, she snarled as the thundering drew closer, closer and closer,

"Let them come!"

The rebels finally breached like an army of hellions. Putting the spear in grip to the side to make it easier to run, Belle and Miranda yelled out as they ran to the rebels to greet in battle,

"COME ON!"

Belle and Miranda took different sections of the army. Some were terrified to meet Miranda and ran. Others took their chances, only to be webbed down. Belle had the element of surprise. No one was expecting her there. Several men went to attack Miranda when her back was turned, but Belle kept them at bay by cutting their legs to the point of almost paralysis.

Miranda turned as one drew close, but Belle lacerated him and he collapsed. Miranda chuckled in a deranged manner. As they went back to back, a hundred men left, she asked as she calculated about fifty per side of hesitant and fearful,

"You want the left or the right?"

"Whatever side you're not taking!" Belle said jovially.

They went opposite ways. The men were hesitant. A servant and Miranda were taking them down!? This was _not _part of Caleb's plan! Where was he? Why hadn't he shown up yet? Belle was having a blast! She had almost forgotten her troubles with the prince; maybe he would…the thought was lost as a shadow tried to slip by her. Belle plunged the spear down into a brown trench coat. The owner fell to the ground and Belle snarled out as he groaned in pain,

"What are you doing here?!"

Caleb knew this was a decisive attack; the rebels had very little hesitancy for it though! The ones that ran back in fear said there was a servant here; a servant who was taking them down like a wolf does to lambs. He wanted to find Phobos himself to end these days of nightmares! But instead he found himself now on the ground, his jacket pinned to the floor by a spear. His eyes narrowed as a female voice demanded answers. He grabbed the spear, spun with it, and pointed it at what he thought would be Miranda, only to be greeted by…

"A servant of the castle?" he gasped in shock.

Belle moved in at his hesitancy, pulled the spear from his hands and threw it into the wall. Caleb recovered, went to move forward, only to have Belle snap kick him in the solar plexus and guide him down with a punch. She grabbed his knife, and he bolted upright. He felt a sting of fear; this servant knew how to fight? She growled out again as he moved with her in a circle,

"I won't ask again! What are you doing here?!"

"Taking back what is ours!" he snapped.

Looking behind her, his eyes gave the signal to a rebel who was looming behind her. Belle turned and back fisted a rebel with horns in the face and green mottled skin. The rebel's name was Aldarn, and the horns upon his face cut into her fist. He fell to the ground at the force she used, clutching his broken jaw and yelling in pain.

She was distracted enough where Caleb grabbed her, and threw her down as he stole back his knife. She gaze hardened but her eyes shifted to Miranda who was coming their way. Caleb drew aim upon her with his knife.

Belle lost her control, and lunged up right and tackled Caleb to the ground. She stood upright, pulled the spear from the wall and kicked his knife away. Caleb attempted to stand, but Belle kicked him in the legs, knocking him back down. Miranda felt stunned as she kept fighting to get to Belle. Belle stopped him from killing her….she wasn't prepared for the words Belle had to say, either.

"You _threatened _my friend…." Bell growled with rage.

Miranda froze. Belle called her a friend…she watched as Belle spun the spear to have the blade pointed down. Her foot was upon Caleb's chest. Her weight centered upon her foot and holding him down, he had no chance of getting up. Her eyes hardened with rage, Belle growled out,

"See ya in Hell, douchebag!"

She raised the spear to kill him.

Suddenly the whistle of a blade sounded in the air before it landed its mark in between her shoulder blades. It was thrown by a blonde rebel, who had gone fifty paces behind her. Belle screamed in painful agony. Miranda felt herself scream out in a rage she never felt in her life as she ran to Belle,

"NO! BELLE!"

Belle dropped the spear, and fell to her knees. Caleb stood, took the spear, and was about to gut her, when Belle quickly pulled the knife out of her shoulder, and stabbed him in the thigh. Caleb, stunned and in horrible pain, yelled out as he dropped the spear,

"ARGH!"

Belle quickly stood up and despite her shoulders not wanting to work, she pushed through. She began to beat Caleb, hurting him in ways that she never thought of using on another human. Her very blood was boiling as well as running down her back in a great red river. Caleb with one leg disabled and being beaten like a bully at the playground, he could only stand there and barely shield himself from her ferocious attacks. Belle could feel herself weaken, but she didn't care. This idiot threatened her friend. He was going to pay…

Miranda watched as more rebels began to swarm Belle. One forced her to the ground after Caleb finally collapsed unconscious. Miranda snarled in rage as she ran to them, her spider form motoring quickly to get to Belle. Why had she let her stay!? Belle was going to die because of her! The one she called a friend! Some friend she turned out to be! The remaining fifteen attempted to keep her away. She watched in horror as that one rebel raised a knife, ready to plunge it into Belle's chest. She screamed in rage filled fear,

"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

A roar filled the air plunging the atmosphere into a pit of terror. As sudden as it came, a monstrous serpentine tail swiped the rebel off Belle, who weakly rolled upright. Cedric slithered into view, and his senses caught the smell of Belle's blood. His eyes widened in rage, and he looked down. Miranda had fallen next to her, now in human form, trying to stabilize Belle. Of all the things, Miranda had tears in her eyes. She said through crying,

"You idiot! What were you thinking?!"

"I wanted to help…" Belle said while wincing.

Miranda did the one thing she wouldn't have done; not in front of all of them. She hugged Belle, and growled out as the tears were finally shut down,

"Next time, please be more careful!"

Cedric growled. A couple of the rebels were dragging Caleb away and had finally scurried like the rats they were. The rest were trying to flee. But before Cedric could destroy them, a sinister energy filled the corridor. Cedric smirked with a toothy blade like smile as Phobos came into the hall, his rage at being disturbed weaving a pernicious spell into everyone's hearts. The rebels froze. The epitome of Death had come in to play. Now they were all dead.

Phobos walked by Belle, stunned that she was here. _Why is __she__ here with Cedric and Miranda?! _He thought to himself in shock. He would find out in a few minutes. Raising his hand, pointing it at the remaining rebels, he yelled out as the energy meant to kill flew from his hands like green lightning,

"This is the last time you dare step into my castle, rebel filth!"

All of the rebels were destroyed in the blast. Miranda, Cedric and Belle immediately bowed low, Belle having a very difficult time doing so. She felt Phobos' anger and dared not say a word. The hope that faded into obscurity of him being slightly less angry disappeared into oblivion. She kept her gaze low, until she saw the hem of his robes in front of her. She lowered it further, knowing she was probably dead, and felt pain escape in a groan as she forced her upright by her arm.

"Look at me…" He growled.

Belle, terrified obliged. Her blood loss was further weakening her, but she dared not cave into the black void calling her out for unconsciousness. Instead, she focused into his eyes. She saw anger, and his grip tightened as he demanded,

"Why did you do this?!"

"Forgive me, my prince…..There was no one here to defend the rest of it. Miranda and I held them off until your lordship and Ce-Lord Cedric arrived. Had we not, they would've overrun the castle…" Belle said weakly.

"She speaks the truth my Prince…" Miranda said cautiously. Feeling Phobos' hateful gaze turn to her, she added, "Had we not done something…The castle would be worse for wear."

Phobos looked back at Belle, but then his eyes traveled to the injuries she had sustained. Every drop of blood trailing down her back made the compassion he felt well in his heart get stronger. He felt his anger fade; only to be replaced by admiration and sadness. _Such a beautiful thing, these emotions are…_he thought to himself. Turning his brutal grip to suddenly gentle, he said with a soft tone,

"You are going to need a change of clothes…" glancing at Miranda, he stated with some emotion Miranda could not read, "I want her dressed…properly. If she's going to fight occasionally, she should be prepared."

Miranda nodded, and helped Belle away. Phobos glanced out of the corner of his eye at Belle, who as soon as their gazes connected; she lowered her gaze to the floor. Lord Cedric lingered as they walked away, and suddenly before Cedric could say a word, Phobos ordered,

"Find the rebels and hunt them down; I want them all dead."

Cedric bowed, and slithered away. Miranda had gone less than a quarter up the hallway, when Phobos' hard gaze burned into her back. Turning around, she walked to the Prince, who whispered a quiet command to her. Miranda nodded, bowed and headed to the darkness of the servant quarters. Belle was standing there looking as Miranda walked by her, but before she could ask Miranda, Phobos' eyes called her again. She turned, and unlike before her gaze could not be removed from his.

He gestured to her to follow him, and despite her wounds, she did as she was told. They wandered the halls, making her wonder where they were going. He told her to keep close, and Belle did as she was told, but much to Phobos' shock she still kept a few feet away to show respect. They were going deeply into the castle, and Belle was afraid. She had no idea where they were going, so occasionally she would glance up at him with some fear.

They paused at a pair of doors belle recognized as a cleansing chamber; at least that's what Trill told her. Phobos kept his back to her, and Belle was confused. He was glad Belle wasn't privy to his thoughts. He wanted to reach out, to caress those horrific wounds she had taken in his name; to help those atrocious scars heal and fade away. He just wanted to touch her in an affectionate manner; something he never felt for anyone. After moments of tense and agonizing silence Phobos finally broke it with,

"Why are you afraid of me….my raven rose?" Their breaths caught at his words, but he pushed further with, "For such a delicate flower, you seem to have sharp thorns…"

Belle felt a sudden shock at his words. The name he had given her; and claiming her as his own!? What in the name of the Lord was happening here?! She wanted to refrain from answering, but all she could do was slightly answer with a resigned voice,

"I am afraid, because I feel like you despise me, my prince…And the thorns are for protection, but yet they still fail. I still feel the pain induced by my father, my prince." She added the last bit with haste.

He closed his eyes while listening to her speak. He was surprised that her father would put her through that kind of savagery. The irony of the tyrant feeling pity for someone else's victim was humorous, but now his previous wants grew stronger. Fighting them off, he chuckled with an edge of sorrow. He said softly enough where only she could hear,

"If you only fear to disappoint me, then maybe you don't know the reason of why you truly fear me…mayhaps we should keep it that way; it would be more entertaining."

A smile curled, but Belle was at a loss for words. Even though his back was turned to her at current, she felt a curious need to see his face. Phobos turned to face her, and Belle was enraptured briefly by the light dancing in his eyes. He drew closer, and he said while not releasing her gaze,

"You are to wait here for Miranda. She will be returning with the clothes I requested as well as a way to patch you up. You will wear them. Also, when you rest, you are not to sleep upon the floor; you will sleep near me. Take this as a token of my appreciation for your bravery today."

Belle felt floored, but she still bowed. A part of her was so confused; how did he go from hating her to this? He put his hand upon her shoulder but not enough to press the wound, and drew her up from the bow. With a devilish smirk, he added,

"Before I return to the throne room, tell me your name. So I can call you by it when we meet again tonight."

Belle felt a huge flush cross her cheeks at the emphasis on the last word. All she could do was gaze back into his emerald eyes. Was he being serious? She finally found her voice, and said clearly even though inside she was shaken,

"M-My name is Belle, my Prince…."

"Belle…" he repeated for himself.

The name had an elegant ring to it, but he had to wonder what language it was. Smiling, he began to walk away. As if something else came to thought, he paused. Belle heard him say softly but with a malignant amusement,

"I did not realize you were a warrior…I must figure out a new way to break that wonderfully powerful spirit of yours…Belle."

Belle flushed at his tone. He turned and with a seductive glance back at her, he disappeared down the halls, and into the shadows of the castle.

* * *

><p><em>MUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!<em>


	5. Chapter 5

_Going to briefly delve into the rebels and Guardians' POV. Going to be insane, this chapter will be!_

_Disclaimer: ….No._

The Tarnished Bell and the Black Rose

Chapter 5

"She called you a _what _now?!" Cornelia gasped.

"Yeah, she called me a douchebag! No Meridianite knows that term except for the rebels! I think she's from Earth…There's no other explanation!" Caleb said through wincing.

The three rebels, Caleb included that survived the failed onslaught of the castle were getting stitched up. Caleb took longer because of the deep stab wound in his thigh, but he couldn't get the words from the servant's mouth out of his mind. She called that demonic bitch Miranda a _friend…_a friend! And one survivor said Miranda and her were fighting side by side! What in the hell was going on here?!

"Well...According to my dad, a Belle Chapman went missing three months ago….they think she's dead. Her father is evil enough where I'd believe it. He's been arrested way too many times for assault!" Irma said hesitantly.

Caleb alerted on the name. Belle….that's what Miranda called the girl who beat the piss out of him! Looking at the five Guardians, he weakly stood, and said as he went to try to move,

"Well, she's not dead…She's now a servant of Phobos."

He almost collapsed from the knife wound until Cornelia caught him. But the silent fear everyone was emanating was apparent. Belle was either captured, or she accidentally wandered into this nightmare. Will felt herself say quietly as Caleb was eased back down into the bed,

"But why is he keeping her alive?"

"Beats me; all we need to do is keep her that way. Although the way she fights…I don't think she needs the help." Aldarn whispered in pain.

"If that's the case we need to talk to Trill. She might be able to help us with that…" Caleb whispered grimly.

* * *

><p>"<em>You are an idiot<em>…A brave idiot, but still!" Miranda said while stitching her up.

"Save the lecture." Belle muttered through gritted teeth.

Miranda had finally come by. The clothes she had hidden, but now she and Frost were now stitching up Belle's back and hand. Frost had whistled shrilly at the damage on Belle's back. They looked like cat o' nine lashes. Whoever Belle was living with before Meridian was cruel; cruel enough where Frost thought he and Phobos should meet at the tavern for a drink. The needle made another pass through Belle's skin, and she gritted her teeth again. Frost said in admiration,

"You may be an idiot, but you have a lot of strength! And your courage is one in a million! You took on a decent part of the rebel army and didn't die! Hell; the castle is _still _talking about it! Now," pouring some vinegar onto Belle's wound, he said while she hissed in pain, "How in the name of Gaahn did _you _get to fight and beat Caleb and I missed it?"

Belle forced herself to laugh, even though Frost was trying to distract her from the pain. She wondered why the boy was so keen to going after the castle. She didn't want to ponder much more, but all she said to Frost with a goofy grin as Miranda finished the stitches,

"Next time show up early; I'll make sure he finds you first!"

Frost chuckled with amusement. This one had humor. It was a shame she wasn't one of the prince's warriors. She could give him, Raythor and that rotting corpse The Tracker a run for their money. If she had magic, she could probably even beat the Guardians! Belle was something else. Miranda said with a slight smirk,

"Yeah well, next time let the idiot throw a knife at me! I _can _heal, you know!"

"Alright already! This is the third time you've said that, Miranda!" Belle said with a sigh.

Miranda chuckled, and looked at Frost with an expectant glare. Frost took the hint; he needed to leave. Looking at Belle's back one last time, he walked out of the room. When she heard the door slam, Miranda looked at Belle, helped her upright and asked with curiosity,

"What did you mean by 'I'm not the coward I used to be'?" looking Belle sternly in the eyes she stated, "You are far from a coward! Not many people survive what you have as well as you have."

Belle looked back into Miranda's blue expectant look. She was hoping Miranda would have forgotten those words. Apparently spiders had memories like elephants. Looking still into Miranda's eyes, she said softly,

"I could handle an army today, but yet I couldn't defend myself against my father…"

"Your father did this to you?" Miranda whispered in shock while lightly touching the scars.

Belle nodded. She wasn't expecting the next movement Miranda exhibited. Miranda hugged her lightly, pulled away and said as she wrinkled her nose with displeasure,

"Fathers are poisonous to growing children. I should know; my own was abusive. But when he went to physically abuse me, I killed him. Him and my mother both; she let him do it, so she deserved it too. No child should have to suffer at the hands of their parents!"

"That's why I _am _a coward! I couldn't stand to him or my mother like you did to your own!" Belle responded angrily.

"Belle, believe me. It takes more courage to live to spite your enemy than killing them. Because while you live, they writhe and gnash their teeth in anger because you have the audacity to spite them; and that is why I am a coward. I killed my parents to free myself. And now I am no better than a slave to Phobos with the constant reminder I could have walked away and let them stew in their own juices!" Miranda responded back.

Belle was silently stunned. This was not part of their personalities and she knew it. Miranda looked uncomfortable about her past. No, uncomfortable was a weak word; she appeared to despise it. Belle always hid her scars, both mental and physical. But now she had bared them to a spider, a snake, a soldier and a prince who seemingly had no clue what he wanted with her. Two out of the four were very dangerous, yet kind, and now she saw their kindness wasn't a front as she suspected. Miranda said to break her silence,

"But now I have something that I never thought I would ever have…"

"As do I…" Belle whispered back.

They both looked at each other, smiles of the purest happiness glowing in their features. Miranda never let herself be herself around humans; not the way she had exposed herself to Belle. Judging Belle's reaction, she never let herself get close to people either. They both said at the same time,

"A friend."

The both of them smiled, and Miranda went and helped Belle wash the blood off of her back. But every time she felt the gnarled, toughened scars, she felt her anger rise higher and higher. She growled as she felt the last one she recognized as a belt mark,

"I almost want to cancel my own advice, and find your father and kill him…"

Belle almost wanted to cry. She had a friend…hell, she had more than one friend! But now one of them wanted to kill her father. She knew she couldn't stop Miranda even if she wanted to, but all she heard herself say was the angriest statement ever to escape her mouth,

"If you do it, I want to be there. I want to watch him suffer."

"Oh no, you see you won't be there. I am not kind to my victims, and I don't want you to see that." Miranda said.

Belle knew better than to argue, but would Miranda seriously kill her old man? She sighed as Miranda rinsed her back and helped Belle get the new shirt on. It was a white blouse with black cuffs that had red roses embroidered upon it. The waist cincher was also black with the same design. She pulled on the pants that flowed at the hem and laced up at the side. She looked at the mirror in the room, and a blush crept into her pale face at the form fitting aspect of the clothes.

"These are kinda revealing…" she whispered.

"I know, but the prince insisted. It's that or we both get into trouble." Miranda said calmly.

Belle sighed, and Miranda handed her the black slippers. Belle put them on and the self-consciousness slightly faded. The bell rang out midnight. Belle had to be back at the Prince's in less than ten minutes. And she had no idea where she was in the castle. Sensing her fear, Miranda said hastily as they ran out of the room,

"Okay, you need to go left three times and take a right at the painting of the black roses! It'll take you a minute to get there! I will see you in the morning!"

They went their separate ways. Belle ran as fast as her legs would carry her, praying to God she wasn't going to be too late. Phobos usually made it to the room first, but she had to be there relatively soon. She took three lefts as Miranda instructed, and right when the endless hall seemed to be playing tricks on her, the painting of the roses appeared on the wall. She rounded a corner to the right, and bolted down the hall. She found the doors she knew so well, paused in front of them straining to catch her breath, and after panting for a few seconds, she knocked upon the door.

A few minutes passed, and the stillness rang out in the corridor. Belle felt her courage fade; if she were late, well…she didn't want to think about it. So with her remaining courage, she gently opened the door. As she walked in, the torches burned with a bright cast of light. No one was in here; did she beat him to it? The room was always splendid to look upon. As she turned to look into the closest area to the window, a white flash flew towards her. Instinctively, Belle caught it. It was a white night gown, and as she turned it in her hands she saw its back was exposed.

"You're late, Belle." Phobos said softly with an amused tone.

She looked up to see him moving by her, halfway dressed for sleep, and halfway undressed. He was crownless, which gave Belle the chance to see his hair. It was silken by sight, and Belle felt a blush creep into her face; what was wrong with her? She never thought this way about anyone! He looked upon her, but even though his stature was imposing, his eyes radiated his amusement. Belle cast her gaze down and said sheepishly,

"I'm sorry my prince, I-I got lost."

She looked at the gown, and searched the place out for a spot for her to change in. She wasn't stunned that there were none to be found, but she was at a loss as to what to do. Finally unlacing the cincher, pulling that off and feeling hesitancy, she fought through it as she pulled the shirt off. She felt the prince's eyes burn into her back with an inspecting gaze, but as she put the night gown on, his eyes trailed away as he prepared himself for sleep. She pulled her pants off, and as Phobos finished getting comfortable she climbed into the bed.

She got comfortable, but the back exposed on her nightgown made her a little nervous. She hoped tonight wouldn't go south, and why her hope was there was beyond her. She felt the bed shift as he himself climbed in, and Belle felt a slight relief as the torches guttered out. She was ready to close her eyes; to try to cave in to the dream land calling her to visit.

She should've known this wasn't to be.

Right when her eyes went to close, his warm hand trailed down her back. Belle froze and her eyes widened as he trailed them once again, tracing the scars along her spine in a circular motion, going lower, lower, and lower with each touch. Belle felt a gasp try to escape her throat, but she sealed her lips shut. All she could do was remain motionless as his gentle caresses trailed along her back. She finally understood why the back of her nightdress was exposed.

Phobos let a devious smirk curl onto his lips. It widened with complete satisfaction at her reactions. He was enjoying teasing his victim, but she gave no reaction whatsoever. She was stoic indeed! It was so typical of a warrior, as well. He let his hand trail up to her almost swan's neck and twirl itself into her hair, which was miraculously soft for its type. Feeling her still resisting the urge to move, he said with a slight mocking tone as he moved closer leaning in to whisper his question into her ear,

"What's the matter, Belle? Why are you so rigid? I thought letting you sleep near me would make you comfortable…"

He drew much closer than Belle would've liked, but she felt a strange feeling well within her chest. His chest met her back, and his breath danced across her neck. Belle felt fear lodge itself into her throat, but she fought it away. Phobos sensed her distress, and a knowing smirk filled his lips as he asked with a harsh tone,

"Are you afraid, Belle?"

Belle looked evenly into his emerald eyes; something he had anticipated, but the soft look of surprising cold coming from hers almost took his own breath away. She calmly replied, even though inside she wanted to scream,

"No, my prince; like I said when we first met, I am not afraid."

She refused to gaze deeper into his green spheres. Phobos knew she was lying about being afraid, but that mask this woman donned of impeccable courage was admirable. She truly was a strong woman; not the waifs that wandered his castle doing the work. But as it sat within his chest he felt the statement was something of things he appreciated; a challenge. This was no mere game to either of them. Without warning, he grabbed her hands and forced them to the head of the bed while he leaned over her, his body pressing into her own with a dominance Belle could feel radiating from her own with her green eyes widening in shock. His braids and hair cascaded down around them, his braids framing his face and hers. He said with a thick tone,

"You say you are not afraid of me…But I wonder," readjusting his grip so she couldn't escape and letting his grip get uncomfortably firm, he added, "If you truly are….not even now…"

Belle winced in his grip, but a blush of blood red painted her face. She looked deeply into his eyes, and realized his fang like canines were also exposed; making him look even more vampiric than he already appeared. This had taken a sudden, unexpected turn. She forced herself to breathe through her panic, her chest rising and falling but her heart slowly calming into a normal beat. She felt her chest when it raised press into his own, making Phobos pleased that she was still making such a wonderful challenge of breaking her. She issued the challenge, but how far would she let go to win?

Phobos watched her fight her basic instincts to panic, and yet he couldn't help but chuckle with amusement. It really _was _much more difficult to break this one's spirit. If he wanted to truly break her into tiny pieces, he would've used magic by now but that wouldn't be as amusing now would it? Why not tease her with the classical game of seduction; to increase her fears, to make her question herself? To say he was fond of this game would be an understatement. He was thoroughly invested, and by far she was the only one who managed to resist him for this long.

Not to mention to turn him on like this.

Leaning in close, he let his breath tickle the skin of her neck while one hand slowly released her arms. He trailed it slowly down, sending chills deep into her core. His hand was going to her legs where he grabbed her skin seductively through the nightgown, as if reassuring her she would be his to own. All the while he leaned his head into the crook of her shoulder and neck, and warm, yet soft growl of pleasure rumbled deeply in his throat. Her heartbeat quickened in response. Her neck's nearly white skin almost shone in the moonlight, and he said softly, his breath still dancing across her skin and driving more shivers through her,

"If you really are not afraid of me, then I wonder if at least…" he let his hand firmly grip her thigh as he said with a seductive tone, "Are you afraid of the things I might do to you...Belle…"

After pronouncing her name with a raw, lustful tone, his mouth latched onto her neck with gentle nips that were almost firm due to his teeth. Belle's eyes widened, she slightly struggled and a slight moan escaped her lips as he continued. Her eyes widened further in shock. He was right…She wasn't afraid of him, per se. She was afraid of his actions. Feeling his hands move across her form again as his mouth continued to torture her, Belle felt herself try to melt into his assault. Her eyes widened, and she attempted to fight it away. She couldn't lose her control! Not like this! But the way he touched her; the way he said her name…she was beginning to relish it.

And he knew it.

She banished those thoughts back to the red wall of desire that was coming closer with each touch from him, but her body had not received the memo. She was losing this game, and she knew the stakes were too high for her to lose.

Phobos felt her inner struggles with herself begin, and a triumphant smile filled his face. A joy almost like nothing he felt before filled him, and he let her arms go while positioning his body to prevent her from trying to escape; not that she could. He had his prey under his spell, and she was starting to lose control. His mouth released her neck, leaving behind a slight bruise in its place. Adding the last bit to the spell he wove into her, he whispered, much like an accomplished lover,

"If you want me to stop… Just ask me to do…" he traced his tongue across her skin, and feeling her shiver deeply through her soul, he added as if daring her, "That is…_if you can._"

His tongue kept tracing itself all across her neck and his lips traced lust in their place. Belle felt her control being shredded to pieces before her very eyes. Twice the words that could stop this rushed to her lips, but they were forever silenced away as he continued to trail his lips across her neck. His tongue trailed her jaw line as his hands trailed to the hem of her night dress, and judging by the heavy breathing she was doing, Belle knew she had lost this round. She refused to surrender completely; she would fight until she couldn't anymore!

It was when he claimed her mouth in a dominant and completely unexpected kiss that Belle finally felt herself finally admit defeat. Her mouth opened in shock, and Phobos lightly darted his tongue in, tasting her for the first time. Keeping him in check, even though he felt himself want to lose control and possess this miraculous creature, he decided to tease her a little bit more. Releasing her mouth from his, he made the swift motion, almost like liquid down her body to seemingly remove her nightgown. Only, as soon as he had done so, he moved back to the other side of the bed like a whisper. Belle was more surprised than ever before, and a ruby red blush had graced her cheeks. With a sly smile, he said as he prepared himself for sleep,

"Good night Belle; although if I were in your position I would sleep with one eye open, for I might do this again…And the game will be much more entertaining next time.."

And with that, he fell asleep. Belle on the other hand, could not. Her emotions _and _body were on a high. And she had no idea how to deal with it. She had a hard time sleeping, but finally she passed out after a good couple hours of lying there, dealing with the high.

She had no idea this was going to continue…

* * *

><p><em>WOOHOO!<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_See!? TOLD YOU._

_Muwhahahahahhha this story will get deeper! Just sayin'! Enjoy cuz this is when our lovely prince caves…._

_Disclaimer: I will drag out Metatron's voice for this from Supernatural! "….Seriously?"_

The Tarnished Bell and the Black Rose

Chapter 6

Things had begun to change.

The rebels had not raided the castle since, but yet the vermin and now the seasoned Guardians were still trying to cause trouble from outside the walls of the castle. For now six months, the rebellion had gone underground; Caleb getting practically half of their men killed made them regroup and lick their wounds. There was unease in the ranks, and usually Phobos would be pleased that this was happening, but there was unrest in his own mind.

He sat within his room, a fading smirk turning into a deep and thoughtful look. After that night of trying to torment Belle, he continued. Every night he did this, he felt the first urge from the very first time grow stronger, which made him hesitate and stop. He never pushed himself further. Their mouths never met in a kiss again, but Phobos felt the carnal urge to do it again, to feel his lips upon hers and to taste her skin.

The urge to possess her was growing seductively stronger, and every time he touched her, his need to almost comfort her despite everything he had been putting her through was just as strong as the need to have sex. His eyes narrowed as he sank deeper into thought. Twice he almost acted upon both urges, and twice when he felt that weakness, he shut down, and for all the things, because he was afraid of her reaction.

He was, in his own way infatuated with her, and yet terrified of that.

His eyes opened again, stunned. Was he…no, it couldn't be! No one ever made him feel this way! _Until now. _His thoughts said softly, with a melancholic tone. His eyes widened in anger. He couldn't be! He refused! He couldn't be in love with _her_! He felt the reminder of the time they connected through the song; the song that nearly brought him to his knees through her incantation of lyrics.

She had woven a spell that even his magic couldn't conquer. To make matters worse, it made him feel something he wasn't used to feeling at all. It made him feel vulnerable. He hated the feeling, yet he yearned for it as well. He wanted her to look upon him! He wanted the familiarity she wouldn't allow herself to develop with him! He wanted _her_!

_Why?! Why has this happened?! Why have I let myself fall for her?! _He raged mentally.

He clutched his head as more images of her filled his mind. By the gods, he wanted her to be _his. _She fell through the portal for a reason; he was aware of that now. He was faced with an awkward predicament, however. How was he going to claim her? He made it clear he wanted to break her spirit; how could he persuade her otherwise? He was filled with so many questions that had seemingly no answers; he barely missed the alarm for midday. He knew this could mean his chance would come.

Soon she would be going off for her break, and he wanted to meet with her; alone. Standing, and heading to the one place he knew would be perfect for this, he looked to a guard as he shut the door to his chambers, who bowed low, and asked with a gravelly voice,

'What is you command, my Prince?"

"In two minutes time, I want the servant Belle to meet me in the private springs; _alone._" Phobos said icily.

The guard nodded, and started looking for her. Phobos headed down to springs, a bit of a chuckle rising in his throat. The irony was perfect. Yet, he couldn't get his heart to slow down. He was about to show her a weakness he never showed _anyone_. Would he be able to handle it?

He opened the door to the springs, and shut it up as he walked inside.

* * *

><p>"Wow….it's impressive how fast you can move in those slippers, Belle!" Frost said with admiration.<p>

She and Miranda were sparring once again. Frost always supervised; "Just in case!" he always said. Watching Miranda and a human spar like this gave him an idea that not all humans were weak. Belle didn't need magic to hold her own; she was remarkable for a human being form Earth! Belle, even though she was sparring with a creature that could kill her with one blow always marveled at Miranda's remarkable control. She even let the spider out (rarely) to give Belle an idea on how to fight a shifter in their true form, and Belle was even able to fight and subdue the spider! She jokingly accused Miranda of going easy on her once, and Miranda and she nearly killed each other (in jest) with fists.

Belle had been there for months, but finally Miranda explained that probably on earth time, she had been there for half a year. Belle realized that it was December on Earth; almost Christmas to be exact. Her eighteenth birthday had come and gone (she was October 14th; typical Libra). And to make matters more interesting, her hopes had seemingly come true; she had friends! She was away from her Hell! But she couldn't get one person out of her mind. And she had to wonder if he was going through the same thing as her.

Phobos had been tormenting her in ways she couldn't begin to fathom. Every night he'd make the advances, only to seemingly tease her by stopping. She couldn't tell what he wanted anymore! Was he still trying to break her, or was it something else? She and Miranda were about to connect fists once more, when a guard they were familiar with approached. They lost balance, and nearly concussed themselves on each other's skulls. Frost, the guard and the two of them shared a chuckle. The guard looked to Frost, and asked,

"How long they been at it _this _time Frost?"

"Three hours and now stopping!" Frost said with amusement.

The guard laughed, and then looked to Belle. She was lightly scuffed, but she had a lively look in her eyes. He really hoped the prince wasn't going to do what he was known to do. Feeling his throat go dry at the thought, he said calmly, making Miranda and Frost go quiet,

"The prince wishes to see you, Belle….."

"As he commands…" Belle said quietly.

As she straightened herself out, Miranda helped brush off the dust. Miranda picked up on the guard's fear, but she herself was also nerved out; what if Phobos was really going to kill Belle? She looked to Frost, and the same idea had turned his face to grim stone._ She may not be coming back…_Frost thought sadly within his thoughts. When Belle glanced their way, they turned back on the happier faces. Frost said with a chipper voice as Belle got ready to follow the guard,

"See you in a couple hours, kid!"

Belle waved, and followed the guard. She didn't see their looks of apprehension, nor was she privy to them rushing to find Cedric. All Belle was privy to was their location as they walked down the halls. They weren't heading anywhere near his room; nor was she near the throne room. They had gone by that room minutes ago. _ Where are we going? _Belle wondered quietly. They had gone through the parts she barely knew was off limits, until they reached the door she recognized as the one she first left after being taken to this world; the room where she and Phobos first met.

The private springs….

"Are you sure this is where he wants me?" Belle asked with hesitancy.

"I'm positive…Knock away Belle; he's waiting for you." The guard said softly.

Belle, not knowing what to expect whatsoever walked to the marble doors, and with a slim hand, knocked upon the door. The corridor and seemingly the castle went deadly silent after the knock briefly echoed. The door opened slightly, and all Belle caught was the barely illuminated cavern. Phobos' voice echoed out of this place with an issued command,

"Enter, Belle. I've been waiting for you."

Belle hesitated only for seconds before her feet moved forward. She walked through, and the door closed with a sliding click. She walked to the edge of the light, careful to keep her gaze to the floor. Phobos was within the pool of water, his partially nude form lightly cast in the light. Belle wanted to look upon his muscled form, to almost reach out and touch his amazingly blessed physique. But her instincts told her to keep her gaze to the floor. She would've kept this up, until Phobos commanded softly,

"Look at me Belle…"

Belle against her better judgment did as she was told. His eyes and hers connected once again through the chain that seemingly formed whenever their gaze met. With an elegant rotary gesture with his hand, he motioned Belle to come closer to the spring. Belle felt a gulp sound in her throat. What was going on? Knowing better than to argue, she did as she was told. She felt herself stop as silently commanded at the edge of the spring, knowing full well she was closer than anyone had ever been allowed.

Despite being nervous, all she could do was stare seemingly helplessly into his emerald eyes; those depths of green that rivaled her own that were alive now with an emotion Belle couldn't recognize. She felt herself blush at how his eyes now glowed in the cavern's darkness. She felt a strange emotion she could identify only as attraction for him begin to well in her chest. She was attracted to him? But…why? He was trying to break her! Why did she feel this way!? His gaze pierced her soul, and Belle felt herself ask with a tone she barely recognized as her own,

"What do you need me to do, my Prince?"

Phobos wouldn't release her gaze. He was going to do this; even if it killed him! He needed to show Belle how he felt. He couldn't hide it from her much longer. But, he wasn't going to do so outright; rushing into this recklessly could be the death of his attempts and he knew it. His body slightly flexed gracefully as he moved closer to the edge, and he caught sight of the flaming rosy blush upon her cheeks .A slight smirk filled his face as an idea filled his thoughts. Still looking into her feline colored gaze, he said in a calm tone,

"I think you have noticed by now this place is not what you earthlings call 'normal'. Judging by your reaction to your encounter with the…" he chuckled before finishing with, " 'Blue swirly thing,' you had never encountered anything of its kind….of its magic. I'm giving you permission to feel that for yourself, the true feeling of magic boiling through your veins and scars…"

His voice trailed away as his gaze fixed itself upon her graceful neck, where he knew many scars trailed from there to her back. All was hidden by her raven hair, but he was personally aware of how deep they ran. Belle was puzzled; he wanted her to feel that kind of energy? From what Trill had described, Phobos would never permit it! What the hell was going on here? Phobos looked upon her puzzled form, and a brow rose in amusement. With an indifferent tone, he asked,

"Well what are you waiting for? When I said you had permission, it was also a command." With a pointing hand at her clothes he commanded, "Undress yourself."

A blush at this point was an understatement. A fire across her face would have been more acceptable to use as description. She knew this was going to be awkward, but finally their gazes broke as she reached for her clothes and began to strip down. She knew the rest of her scars would be visible, but the question was, would he be repulsed by them? As her clothes came off, Phobos was stunned to see more lash marks, scars and bruising from years of damage upon her upper arms, the legs, and her torso. Belle radiated humiliation at the damage done to her, and with a cold depression, she whispered,

"Please forgive my scars, my prince. They must put you off..."

Her gaze dared to return to his eyes, but all she saw in his face wasn't revulsion…but anger. She felt herself become shocked. All she could ask with some hesitancy was,

"Did I offend you, my Prince?"

An enraged sigh curled out his mouth in the form of white mist within the cavern. His eyes quickly roamed over her body, but the scars were too many to be counted. Perhaps if the situation had been different he wouldn't have cared about her or anyone else in her position. He usually tortured and killed those who made careless mistakes. But what were _her _mistakes? What had she done to deserve such horrific treatment? He felt his blood boil at the thought of whoever did this to her. He felt rage like never before come into his mind as he said, staring seemingly transfixed by her scarred form,

"I detest art that is beautiful and framed in the classical ideas of perfection. I'd rather gaze upon something that's different and breaks the rules of the old ways, which has its own harmony in all its perfect imperfections and laws, as I can see a brighter inner beauty in something that's fallen than something that was reared in decadence. Something that was once fallen or gained a crack but still managed to get up and live with its flaws...it's quite challenging to achieve."

Belle felt herself look away, but before her thoughts of how she knew how ugly she felt she was could surface, Phobos added with an angry growl, catching them both off guard,

"But that kind of beauty I adore is formed by its own will; not at the hands of someone else. Whoever did this to you, I will be sure to make them pay a high price…"

Belle felt stunned. He wasn't saying she was ugly…nor was he judging her! _He wasn't judging her!_ A blush of pure red painted her face. He had in his own way complimented her tarnished appearance, but it made her wonder what was happening here. Was he being serious? All she could say in her shocked state was,

"My Prince…"

But suddenly, Phobos grabbed her arm gently, and pulled her into the spring. Belle gasped before she hit the water, but as she fell in, she finally felt what he was in reference to. The energy shredded through her, making her body burn with its raw power. It boiled seemingly through her very blood, almost hitting her soul. Belle closed her eyes in pain until she felt herself adjust after agonizing minutes of discomfort. She resurfaced with wide eyes; only to hear him laughing at her…it was a real laugh, a laugh of amusement and mirth. It sounded strange at first, but a light sheepish blush filled her face. What was in this spring?

She crossed her arms over her chest, and attempted to avert her gaze from his. Without her knowing, Phobos was moving towards her, admiring thoughts filling his heart and mind. She hadn't caved to him for the months she had been here. She had refused to let herself break further, and he was in awe at her strength. She truly was a work of art on her own despite the cracks and shattering this seemingly delicate woman had been put through.

He suddenly approached her leaving only a few inches between each other. Because of his imposing stature compared to hers, he had to arch his spine a little and lower his head until it was the level of hers. Then he began another staring game in which he always seemed to win and enjoy. Belle felt herself get lost in his eyes, something she hadn't intended. He said softly,

"I never allow anyone to enter my sacred spring, my most valuable source of energy on the whole realm, but you; you already disturbed it once. I think it's time to embrace the water calmly this time, to pay for the past ungraceful fall into it." he allowed himself to laugh a bit on the side of this ironical joke.

Belle felt her gaze meld into his and his laugh made her blush a little more. She felt him lean into her, his crowned head leaning into her shoulder and his braided hair lightly caressed her skin, sending chills and reminders of the nights he teased her deep into her core. His hands slipped by her arms' defense and lightly touched her back. But unlike the many times before, Belle didn't shrink away. They locked eyes again, and he whispered with a soft, seductive tone,

"Let me show you what it feels like to have magic flow through you…"

His hands began to trace arcane symbols along her scars, which showed the attempts made in the past to heal them. His hands gently traced them; sending waves of the energy he wanted Belle to feel as he continued. Belle arched slightly into his embrace and his hands were sending a slightly cold, yet gentle energy into her back. Unlike her first exposure today, it was nicer to feel. She melted into it before she could stop herself. Phobos sensed this, and allowed himself to smile a little wider, pleased and victorious. But without her realization, her scars were starting to fade away, lessening and fading into oblivion. He let her know she knew she was blushing with a soft tone stating,

"Rose is a lovely color on you…"

Belle's eyes radiated a light he wanted more of. His hands caressed a little firmer with each pass upon her back, but Belle felt her body and mind melt and lean into his hands. He was like a sculptor shaping a statue, and she felt like the very clay they worked with. He heard her whisper with a soft tone as she began to cave to him,

"My Prince…."

Phobos' caress stopped at the base of her spine, where he held her to him. He moved closer, and leaned over her due to height difference, and stared deeply into her eyes once more. Something he truly liked to do. Every time his gaze met hers, he felt like it was discovering something new, and wondrous. As her gaze showed her starting to comply, Belle felt a little more nervous, but she felt his touch become different than the last times. It was truly gentle and meaningful.

He picked up on her finally caving in, her last rebellious flame extinguished as she caved to her forming feelings for him. But even he felt fire in his chest as his heart quickened in pace as he gazed upon her. The fact they were exposed in such a manner and in such a scene of privacy made that fire grow and burn hot.

Every trait within her slightly heart shaped face framed by those raven black curls seemed to radiate a light. His gaze lowered to her lips and his gaze refused to move. They were rose petal pink and slightly open in their shock. He felt the softness of her skin, and as the feelings screamed to be let out, a hunger like never before beset him. He lost his senses to it; he wanted to feel more. He _wanted _more…it was time. He was so close to what he wanted, and unlike before he wouldn't run away.

Their emerald eyes melted together, and Phobos caressed her cheek before gently and still firmly grabbing it while leaning in for their first real kiss. Belle knew what was happening, but it didn't click until their lips framed each other perfectly.

She lightly gasped at the tenderness and it finally sunk in; he had genuine feelings for her…for _her_! The spell that was woven from the tensions between them climaxed as energy like never before washed over them and their heart beats merged together in their fast waltz, leaving them breathless. His mouth still held hers, and his hands pulled her close enough to let their heart beats call to each other and embrace. Belle felt her arms gently return the embrace, and Phobos' heart skipped a beat at her touch; it was so soft, and gentle. It caught him off guard.

The last scar upon her chest healed, but Belle had fully fallen under the magic they created to notice. Phobos had as well, and a sliver of a thought of hoping time would leave them here forever eased into his thoughts. But he knew this wasn't to be, and a strange feeling of want lingered. He gently pulled away, and Belle looked as their eyes opened to see the both of them blushing lightly. He said softly as he climbed out of the pool,

"You may go, my dear Belle. "

Belle climbed out herself, her body lightly shaking from the rush of feeling she was subjected to. She began to redress herself, but her fingers fumbled upon the corset's lacings after the pants and shirt went back on. She cursed lightly under her breath, only to see Phobos walk in front of her and help her with the lacings. She blushed again, and he looked at her with his smoldering gaze. Their eyes connected again, and he said softly as he finished the lacings,

"You are free to resume the rest of your day, but as soon as the tower announces that midnight has fallen, I will be waiting for you in the garden. When that bell rings, I don't care what you are doing; come to the garden, and you will find me in the back under the dome of roses. Do not make me wait, Belle."

He wanted to stand imposing to her, but he couldn't. All he wanted was to stay here with her. He finally showed his feelings, and unlike what he thought would happen, she too reciprocated them. Belle felt a flush upon her face, and she whispered in response to the command with a rose red blush,

"As you wish my Prince…"

"One last thing….In private, I would rather you address me as Phobos, dear Belle.." Phobos said suddenly, catching them both off guard.

Belle was stunned, but all she could say in response was,

"Yes, my—I mean, Phobos….I will do so."

Phobos felt a slight smile form upon his face. As she headed for the exit, he let a happy sigh escape his lips as she finally walked out the door. He laid back into the spring, a genuine joy creasing his thoughts. Tonight would be most excellent indeed.

Belle had barely gone down the hallway when she heard a cry of joy and was knocked to the ground by Miranda, followed swiftly by Cedric and Frost. Miranda said with eclectic joy as she helped her up,

"Oh, thank God! You're alive!"

She hugged Belle only to catch the scent of pheromones and she felt her back. Her scars….they were gone! And the pheromones; that wasn't adding up! Did…Did Phobos heal her? And she caught Phobos' scent on her as well. She looked at Cedric, who also caught the similar scents, and a grin formed on both of their faces. Frost looked clueless, until Miranda asked shrewdly,

"So; how did it go?"

Frost's eyes widened and he grabbed his mead horn, and stole a swig. If this was where he thought it was going, he was going to need more. Phobos and she were growing close; perhaps it was a bad assumption. But a blush upon Belle's face told him to stack up on his mead; this was going to be interesting indeed. Belle's only answer was,

"I-uh….."

"You were gone for three hours! We thought he was going to kill you; apparently he has other ideas." Cedric said with a smirk.

Belle blushed harder. Three hours? She was gone for that long? Following Miranda's gaze at where her scars were on her torso, she looked down at her chest, only to see that old scar gone. Her eyes widened, and her eyes trailed to a mirror where she turned and craned her neck to look. Her scars...did he heal her? She remembered the intense moment, and a blush that rivaled a tomato crept onto her face. He did….

_Does he really like me? _She thought to herself.

"I say we have some mead in snake breath's chambers before going back to work! This day just went from strange to completely upside down!" Frost said jovially.

The two shifters agreed. Belle quietly followed, and barely listened to their conversation. Phobos not only healed her scars, he showed her his true emotions…She heard Miranda say jovially,

"Well Cedric, I say it again; Belle's giving you a run for your money on dealing with Phobos and living to tell the tale!"

"And again, Miranda I say: very amusing…." Cedric growled. Looking at Belle, he asked with some concern, "Are you alright? You've been very quiet since we found you…"

"I'll be alright! Just need some time to think!" Belle said distantly.

Miranda picked up on her hesitancy. She knew Phobos could be cruel, but the pheromones coming from both their scents told her something was up. Phobos' cruelty wasn't even present in the scent. Could it be….could the prince's heart changed about Belle? She looked at Cedric and Frost, and said very calmly,

"I will catch up with you later; Belle and I have to talk about something…"

The snake and the soldier looked at them, and when Frost gave Cedric _the_ look, Cedric smiled, and they both made way for his chambers. When they were no longer in ear shot, Miranda looked at Belle, and a knowing smile filled her face. Belle felt nervous, but the eyes of her friend lit up as she said softly,

"I finally figured out what happened. Phobos likes you…and I mean _likes _you. He may even do more than that, but my advice to you is seeing how it goes, and take your time! Many women have pined away at his sudden loss of interest; I think you are stronger than that, and honestly you don't need that kind of misery. So…"

Before Miranda could finish, a guard appeared down the hall and called Miranda. Miranda rolled her eyes. That guard always called her when the prince needed something. Looking at Belle, she said quickly as she began to walk away,

"In my chambers there is a bottle of perfume; I filched it from a local shop keeper this morning! Put a little on your wrist tonight! I'll see you later Belle!"

Belle felt herself raise a brow. Since when did Miranda keep perfume? She wandered to Miranda's chambers, and walked in. The room was kind of dark, but the bottle she was in reference to gleamed in the dim light. It was a silver bottle no bigger than her pinkie finger. But the roses etched into the bottle were beautifully crafted. She gently pulled the stopper and the smell of rose oil mixed with spice filled the air. She took the end of the stopper that would put the wonderful tonic on and put very little upon her wrist.

It was a lovely smell, but she knew better than to put any more on. She wasn't sure how it was going to work for her , but this seemed to do for now. She blushed as she thought about tonight; she had to wonder what was to happen. She shook her head as a blush crept in, put the perfume back, and headed back to doing what she was required. Little did she realize though, a plan was in action tonight. A plan no one had seen coming.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're up for this Miranda? I want him to pay for what he has done to her…" Phobos growled angrily.<p>

"I am certain, my prince….I've been waiting for this command!" Miranda said gleefully.

Phobos smirked. After finding out the spider had made friends with what would've been her prey, and wanting to kill her father, the source of the disfigurement of his Belle, he was pleased that this task would be completed within a certain parameter. He said coldly with a hand gesture towards the door,

"Excellent. Make sure her father pays the ultimate price before meeting his maker."

"And her mother?" Miranda asked venomously.

"Do as you will with the wench…I want them both to pay!" he snarled.

Miranda smiled, and bowed as she headed to the exit. She headed to the nearest portal, but before she could grace the cold doorway to Earth, Cedric appeared. Handing Miranda a piece of Belle's clothes from Earth, Miranda felt rage at the smell of Belle's blood and old injury. She also caught the smell of her father, which was like the smell of old alcohol and tobacco. Either way it was disgusting. Cedric growled as his eyes turned to the serpentine appearance they were wont to do when he was about to change,

"Make him pay, spiderling…._make him pay_."

"Not an issue." Miranda growled with her blue eyes glowering in rage.

She walked through the portal. She landed outside a strange building that Cedric once called the town hall, but as she inhaled her target's scent, she caught the lingering trail from the east. Her eyes narrowed with her evil smile. He had no clue what was hunting him. He would find out just as she was about to kill him. Humans were usually that stupid. Following the trail, she wove through the city, combing through the now cold atmosphere of Earth, following the revolting scent. Her inner beast's tolerance to cold kicked in and Miranda couldn't be more thankful as a cold wind picked up.

She found herself outside an old Victorian house. The scent was much stronger here._ Excellent_, she thought to herself. She walked through the gates, her feet never betraying her presence. She went to the door, and opened it, her feet going more silent as she walked in. She took on her friend's voice, and said as she poised herself, ready to strike whoever came into sight,

"Mom, Dad!" her eyes glowed evilly as she finished "_I'm home…_"

An angry clank of glass came from the kitchen and a man with salt and pepper black hair raged through, his fist balled near his beer gut. His wife appeared, and Miranda could only tell she was Belle's mother by her facial structure and green eyes, which were now widened with shock. Mr. Chapman snarled out,

"So you finally came home you lil…."

His voice faded away at the sight of Miranda, who asked with a sweet voice laced with cyanide,

"Mr. Chapman?"

"Yes?" He asked hesitantly.

Miranda let herself lose control. She laughed as the beast raged out, and she shifted as she lunged and pinned Belle's father to the ground. Chris Chapman went to scream, but Miranda webbed his mouth shut. As Belle's mother went to run, Miranda webbed her to the wall, and Mrs. Chapman's screams were gagged the same. Miranda's cold icy glare returned to him and she snarled,

"So you like to beat on women; nonetheless your own flesh and blood!" Her fangs dripped with venom, and Mr. Chapman's screams were gagged as she said with malice, "Well, you know what they say; what goes around comes around!"

Mrs. Chapman watched in horror as this monster tore her husband limb from limb, his muffled screams tearing through the night. Belle's mother's cries for help were also silenced. Soon the screaming stopped, and the monster turned back into the little girl that fooled them. Her eyes widened as this girl made her way towards her. She struggled to move, but the webbing made it impossible to do so. The girl smiled pleasantly; as if they were about to have a long and wonderful talk and she wasn't going to kill her. If only that were the case, for this little girl was about exact revenge the only way she knew how.

She was going to enjoy this thoroughly.

"And you; you enabled him to hurt her." She said with a cold tone.

Pulling the web away from Mrs. Chapman's face she said coldly as the woman's mouth opened,

"If you scream, I'll make you wish you hadn't….Now tell me," Hitting the woman in the mouth, and practically breaking her teeth, Miranda said while smiling dementedly, "How does it feel to have the tables turned on you?"

* * *

><p>Midnight had rang out in Meridian, and Phobos felt impatience creep into his thoughts. He also felt himself begin to doubt this. What if she left him here, what if he was what Cedric called 'stood up'? He felt a minute creep by under the roses in the forming moonlight when he picked up on something. Something he hadn't counted on hearing. He heard her voice singing out into the garden, making the plants whisper and shiver with delight,<p>

_Funny how your feet in dreams never touch the earth…._

She had made it. Phobos grinned, and made himself hide behind a tree before she walked by it. She was dressed back in a skirt and a white peasant blouse with the corset. The cloth was linen, and he caught the scent of perfume. He smirked; maybe one of the servants loaned her some. Nonetheless she looked wonderful in the moonlight. His eyes trailed her as she slowly walked through, her eyes alive with curiosity and yes, some fear. He walked silently behind her as she continued,

_In a wood, full of princes; freedom is a kiss…but the prince—_

He slowly turned her, and their voices melded again as he followed her song in his tenor. His hands framed her face again, and her green eyes shone with anticipation. Not able to hold his emotions back any longer, he locked his lips to hers again. Belle felt her eyes flutter shut, and he gently held her to him as he gently pried her mouth into opening to him and tasted her once more. Belle lightly moaned under his assault, and his hands gently pawed her form. He sought her skin, and a warm, passionate growl filled his throat as his hands gently slipped by the shirt, caressing her back. The corset soon was unlaced and fell from her form, but unlike the times before Belle wasn't afraid.

He slipped his hands past her shirt, and his skin touching her own made the fire within become an inferno.

He let his hands reach for the hem of her shirt and begin to pull it away. Belle felt herself help him, and she now knew the tension between them finally formed into something. He pulled her back into his embrace, and willed his robe away as he reclaimed her mouth. By the gods she tasted sweet; like honey! He let his mouth slowly trail away from hers, and lightly lick and nip at her neck. Belle felt her arms wrap around his body, which was akin to carved stone. She had never been close to any man like this…His mouth trailed lower to her chest, burning intense fire upon her skin and his hands gripping her breasts firmly, milking a surprised moan from Belle.

His hands moved to her hips, and he pulled the skirt away to reveal her fully. His body and hers met, and Phobos began to lay her down upon the ground, her raven curls fanning out upon the grass. Their mouths met again and his hands teased and possessively gripped her chest. Belle felt his tongue caress her neck again, and he moved slowly down upon her while licking every inch of her skin. His tongue flicked her nipple and she felt warmth fill her as his assault kept moving lower. His hand lightly parted her there, and began to tease her V mound slowly as he bit and suckled her breasts before moving to her most sensitive place. She gasped out as the feeling of wanting him exploded within her mind as he continued,

"Phobos, please! You're driving me mad!"

"Then we shall be mad together, sweet Belle…" he retorted with hot desire.

His tongue reached his destination, and lightly licked her upon her clitoris. Belle gasped. His hands gripped her hips as he continued, milking moans and light cries as he tortured her in ways that she had never imagined. Her hands gripped the grass tightly as he continued his torture. She felt herself grow hot under his touch, and he let one hand reach up and assault her chest once more. She felt a stimulus so powerful; she felt her body begin to shake and lightly writhe under the pleasure she was feeling.

Her body finally gave into it, and she felt release. Phobos licked her already sensitive skin, and lightly bit her thighs as well. He moved upon her to face level, and his hair cascaded around them like a pale, wheat colored cloak. Belle trailed a hand down his abs, and he shivered under her touch. Her innocence was still so prevalent. As her hands moved lower, she reclaimed his mouth, and he himself moaned in delighted shock. He felt himself grow a little harder at her touch, but as she whispered his name into his ear as she lightly nipped his neck, he let himself growl out in a passionate haze as he grew hard at her touch there,

"I want you…_now…_"

His body was primed and hers was as well. Laying her back, in a liquid motion he sheathed himself within her. Belle felt a shock at the sudden feeling of pain, and her mouth was claimed in a reassuring kiss before she cried out. He held her to him as her body arched into his, and he slowly eased himself further. Finally feeling her body adjust and begin to claim him as well as he was her, he began the sinuous dance he had fervent dreams of. Belle felt him thrust into her, and every thrust was accompanied by her kiss stifled moans. As they increased in pace, Belle let her hands trail across his back with her nails, and the sensation drove him faster and harder. He licked her lips before reclaiming them in a dominant, hot kiss as they continued a hot dance that they had wanted for months. And all Phobos could think of while they lay within each other, driving each other to passion laced madness was,

_Yes…_

* * *

><p>The timbers of the old house creaked and groaned under the flames. A man's mangled body lay in the burning inferno, and another was finally left alone to rot in the fiery heat. Her jaw had been broken, her body cut and lacerated. Bruises were all over her body as well. And the words <em>Coward<em> and _Filth_ were carved into her chest. As the fire finally consumed the house in a roar, only one noise was louder than the flames as they rose and destroyed any evidence of her.

The sound of a child's demented, maniacal laughter.

* * *

><p><em>THIRTEEN PAGES! WOOT!<em>

_All done for now! 7 will be just as crazy!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Well holy shit! Reviews!_

_And to top it all off I went somewhere in my chapters I never went to in any of my stories! I killed the parents! This is almost as bad as when I killed the Feeler in Lusting over Fire! I kinda like killing people now! …nah, just screwing with ya! This chapter will have the Guardians second guessing and mortified at the nature of the deaths, and we find out how Irma knows all about Belle!_

_Disclaimer: …if I have to drag out another Supernatural reference, I __will __get Crowley on your ass! SO NO!...Dammit!_

The Tarnished Bell and the Black Rose

Chapter 7

"My God…."

"The Chapman house…did you hear what happened to them? "

"Holy shit; I know they weren't well liked, but _someone_ was out for revenge…"

That's all Irma heard when she walked by the ashen remains of the Chapman house. The fire had burned so hot; the other houses had to be evacuated in case they too went ablaze. None of the people here knew the cause of the fire, but when Irma heard revenge; her thoughts wandered to Belle. She had to somehow hope her family was okay, but that hope was soon dashed. She looked on stunned as the coroner's van pulled up. The Chapmans were dead?

As they went in, the acrid smell of burning hair and burnt wood laced with chemicals filled Irma's senses. Her nose wrinkled in disgust; there were in fact dead bodies in the remains of the fire. Maybe it was a mistake. She was looking on as they came out with grim expressions, and before they zipped the first body away in the bag, Irma caught the claw marks and the carved message into the woman's chest.

She had to assume it was her mother. The corpse's face was frozen for eternity in agony and terror. Irma herself felt fearful at the words _filth_ and _coward_; someone knew what they were putting Belle through. Her eyes widened as she picked up the presence of Meridian, particularly the spider Miranda…

_Miranda was here? _Her thoughts gasped.

She looked away as they carted away what little was left of her dad. Both of them looked like they were shredded by a wild animal. It put itself together. Miranda had murdered the Chapmans. Not so much in cold blood, but rather a crime of vengeance. She really _was _friendly with Belle; for Miranda wouldn't kill for anyone but Phobos and herself. So perhaps Phobos ordered this almost torturous execution? No; this wasn't adding up!

She knew from the last raid from Caleb's words that Belle had said they were friends. She knew Belle had worn the scars to prove that her father and mother were inhumanly cruel. In fact that's why Belle stopped talking to her; when her father found out Irma was Officer Lair's daughter, he beat the hell out of her after Irma left. Belle had shown up to school with a black eye and avoided Irma. It hurt, but Irma knew if she had pushed, it could've been bad for Belle.

Now, her acquaintance almost friend was in Meridian; a place the guardians and Yan Lin called Hell. But all it had done for Belle was become a strange sanctuary. Now she couldn't return to Earth; she'd have nowhere to go. Maybe this murder was deliberate. She began to walk away, almost as if bewitched by her own thoughts. Phobos wanted something from Belle; it was the only reason he would've kept her alive for so long.

The last time they spoke to Trill, she had said he was attempting to break the raven haired girl's spirit. Trill also knew that Cedric, and Frost were rather friendly with Belle; almost uncannily friendly. Trill thought Cedric was deceiving her until she saw them speaking familiarly; as if they were friends. Frost couldn't deceive a blind man, as Trill had put it. Frost, although evil had his own code of honor, and deception was only used in a fight to win.

Cornelia had accused Trill of delving too much into the mead, but all this was a bunch of confusion; none of this was adding up. Was Yan Lin possibly wrong about this whole situation? She found her way back to the portal they were keeping open (it led to the rebel hideout) and while wondering why Will had called them to meet in Meridian, she walked through it.

The rebel hideout was quiet within the exception of the five girls, Caleb and now Trill sitting near the fire Taranee had created for warmth. Trill had been assigned to watch over Belle; and judging the shocked look upon her face she had some news. Irma walked closer, and asked hesitantly,

"What happened now?"

"Belle; she was getting the hallways cleaned when the midnight bell struck. All I saw was that she was heading to the garden. I also caught the smell of, of all the things perfume on her. She has not resurfaced from it, and Phobos wasn't in his chambers when I went in to fetch her for the day…Something is wrong, I tell you! Even her scars were gone, and-"

"Wait; her scars are gone?" Irma asked quickly.

Trill looked at her as if that was obvious. But suddenly, a great shock wrote itself upon her face. She didn't think of it! How would someone who had almost burns upon her back suddenly be healed in this place? Cedric and Miranda had no power like that, except for themselves when they were injured. Frost could do rudimentary healing; but that was just herbs and stitching for his own injuries. There was only one explanation left, and Trill didn't dare believe it. She whispered in shock,

"He healed her…."

"Yeah, I'm not buying it!" Cornelia said skeptically.

"I understand you may not, Cornelia, but something is up! He also ordered her family's execution; the Chapman house burned to the foundations last night and the Chapman's death is being ruled as a homicide! I felt Miranda's presence there this morning; he ordered her to kill them! And how they died wasn't pleasant...What's left of her father was just enough to ID him! And Belle's mother had 'Coward' and 'Filth' carved into her like someone carves a Christmas turkey! I think Phobos is doing more than just trying to break her!" Irma said heatedly.

Cornelia and the others looked at Irma like the news was exactly that; new to them. Hay Lin wondered why she smelled smoke last night! Will though looked horrified. Mrs. Chapman was her mom's mild friend! Was she really that abusive to Belle? They couldn't ask now; they were dead as can be. They could ask Belle, but she wouldn't talk to any one of them at this point. Taranee said softly, even though her brain was hurting from this farfetched math that wasn't adding up,

"Then what _is _he trying to do?"

"Until we figure that out, she still needs to be watched. Trill, keep an eye on her; she may need all the help she could get." Caleb said grimly.

Trill nodded, and walked away from the fire. She shivered as the cold pierced her again. All that crossed her thoughts was wonder of what the Prince was truly doing, and where he and Belle were. She felt herself shake the curiosity off; where she was returning to, that would have no place. Unless she wanted to die that badly, she wouldn't voice it. She didn't dare. She wandered the dark streets, until she noticed something peculiar upon the ground.

A small and singular white and purple violet had grown and bloomed with a vigorous health, its heart shaped leaves somehow uncurling as if meeting the sunshine of spring. Trill felt a brow rise in confusion. Nothing outside the castle ever grew and lived; let alone flowers! Violets were not only symbols of innocent love in Meridian culture, they were Queen Weira's favorite; they had all died when she disappeared. She reveled in surprise as it remained. He was letting it live? He considered all reminders of his childhood abominable…She looked up, only to see she was at the castle's entrance, which the violet stood to. It was so unassuming; so _innocent_ in the face of darkness, as if it knew that there was a glimmer of hope in the abyss.

"What is going on here?" She whispered in shock.

* * *

><p>The garden was a place of sanctuary for the prince. A place of evil perfection, and malignant beauty, this deadly Eden had every flower imagined and conceived by man. Clematis vines raveled around exotic trees laced with passion flower vines, roses of the darkest black mixed with others red as blood guarded the walls of the garden. Their intoxicating scents mingled with the sweet, heady perfume of the jasmine and gardenias that were blooming along the eastern walls.<p>

The prince however wasn't alone; he was sharing this wondrous place with another.

Phobos and Belle were lying upon the grass under the cover of the roses, the whispers from the garden itself singing to them like a lullaby. Phobos had a content smile upon his face as he held Belle's sleeping form to him. He had caved into slumber's embrace hours ago, but his dreams wouldn't permit him much more sleep.

The same nightmare had invaded them like the nights before, only the carnal explosion between them both made this dream much stronger. He woke up within a cold sweat, but her touch and presence made it calm. All he could remember from this dream was a nightmare stained with blood; the blood of the woman he now knew he loved. He grimaced, for he didn't want to remember such a nightmare.

Feeling her stir, he let his hand gently trail up her spine and gently furl itself into her hair. He would think about that horrific dream later. Belle's green eyes wearily opened as she felt her tired and sore body try to recuperate. She shivered under the almost seductive caress of his hand up her spine. She couldn't believe that happened last night. They both had lost control in the most intimate manner.

"Finally awake I see…" he said with a chuckle.

"What time is it…?" She whispered with a groan.

"It's morning; and _you_ are still to be here with me." Phobos said with a grin.

Belle blushed; that command was more than easily done than said. She was so tired and sore she didn't dare move. They had made love for the entire night it seemed. She climaxed for an uncountable time and the rest was a blur from her passing out. She chuckled finally, and said with a coquettish look,

"Your wish is my command, Phobos…"

"I'm glad you agree, my dear Belle." He said with delight.

He felt delight at her final cave into acknowledging their position with each other. The familiarity was such a comfort; the only thing he didn't think ahead of was what the castle was going to say. Before he could say something, his eye caught the heart shaped leaves of violets. His brow rose in curiosity. Belle followed his gaze and she smiled with delight. Violets!

She weakly sat up, and her sight caught the part of the garden they were lying in were covered in violets, their purple, white and bicolored blooms lightly perfuming the air with their clean scent. Phobos felt a sudden blush cross his face; these flowers were something she enjoyed. How did he know and cause this? How? Then it came to him. These were created by their set of magic. They were bonded. In more ways than one! He said with a soft smile as he sat up with her,

"Violets are a symbol of innocent love, here…"moving closer to her, he said softly as he held her cheek in his hand, "I think they may be accurate."

Belle looked at him, a light blush creeping into her face. She leaned into his hand and held it in her own, her touch sending pleasant shivers done his spine. He wanted this to never end; he wanted to sit here with her, to enjoy her love that she shared for him. He wanted to reciprocate that once evasive emotion. She may not have spoken those words, but her eyes did. He stared deeply into those wonderfully green eyes, and said with a velveteen tone,

"Shall I show you the garden?"

"Sure; I'd like to see more of it!" Belle said with a creeping blush as he stood.

He offered his hand to help her up, and Belle gently took it. _Shouldn't we put some clothes on? _Belle wondered to herself. Seeing him in the nude wasn't the problem; it was if someone else saw them. Finally realizing they weren't going to do so, Belle chuckled. As he pulled her upright gently, his hand wouldn't release hers as they wandered the garden. The deadly Eden's Adam finally had his Eve to share it with at last.

* * *

><p><em>Yes I know! Short chapter!<em>

_Elyon comes into the picture soon; RELATIONSHIP TEST TIME!_

_Cya next chapter!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Y'know what time it is!_

_TEST TIME!_

_Oh God five AM and I am up. Well; coffee! Here I come to save the day! Hehe well this chapter is about Elyon showing up and Belle being put to the test about dealing with him not around so much, and a surprise from Elyon herself trying to do what sisters do best when they feel their brother can do better! CAN SHE HANDLE IT? Oh God, I need to go back to sleep…._

_Disclaimer: Seriously? Its bucket time over here! AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!_

The Tarnished Bell and the Black Rose

Chapter 8

Belle had never ridden a high like this before. Her secret wishes had, in fact come true; she was no longer alone. And now, of all people who she thought could have seemingly fallen in love with her had indeed done so; Phobos and she were growing closer by the day it seemed. Even though in public she addressed him as his servant, in private it was completely different. They laughed; they shared moments. And he was also a comfort, for ever since their night together; Belle was being haunted by horrific nightmares. They were nightmares of the past; coming to claim and destroy what she had now.

Today as she prepared for the morning with Miranda, she had to wonder why Miranda wouldn't meet her gaze as they talked. She felt the words on the tip of her tongue, but she kept brushing it aside. As they rounded into the hallways leading to the garden, she finally couldn't ignore the pestering question. Miranda had been withdrawing, and Belle thought she was at fault; was she driving Miranda away? Looking at Miranda, she asked,

"Okay Miranda, what's up? You've been kind of distant lately!"

Miranda grimaced. Usually she would laugh it off with Belle, but this time she couldn't. The night she killed her parents, she literally blacked out and blissfully couldn't remember how she had done it. This time with Belle's family….She closed her eyes as the images of her father resurfaced; she could still taste his revolting blood in her mouth. She could still hear her mother screaming through the web gag while the flames melted her flesh. This kill had done a number on her mind; even she was dreaming about it. How she enjoyed it! A kill never did this to her!

_Am I losing my mind? _She thought desperately.

She finally looked into Belle's face, who was surprised to see fear in Miranda's blue eyes. It made a startling contrast to her pale skin. What had her so scared? All Belle knew was that fear was mostly contagious. She felt her heart sink in hesitancy as Miranda tried finding the words to start this conversation.

"Belle, I…I need to talk to you." She felt herself strain to say.

"About time! What's going on?" Belle inquired.

Miranda hesitated. She didn't want to make Belle uncomfortable; Cedric would have her head if she did! Bloody hell, she would hate making her only friend unnerved! But what if she tried returning to Earth? She would have nowhere to go, and she would discover that eventually! She summed up the courage, even though for once in her life, Miranda was terrified of what she had to do.

"I….I….I did it…I killed them at last." Miranda confessed.

Belle froze at the words. Her heart sank into the pit of fear, only to suddenly resurface like the phoenix being reborn from the ashes of despair. Miranda watched fearfully, waiting for the anger, the term _monster_ to resurface in spiteful words, and the hatred that would soon follow. But Belle's face spoke of…relief. Sweet, glorious relief followed swiftly by joy. The only thing Miranda was not expecting! She froze as Belle hugged her tightly and she returned it with shock. Tears were stinging the girls' eyes; Belle at the sweet relief of being freed from her family's nightmarish grip, and Miranda's for not being judged. Belle truly was a friend… Belle released her, and held her shoulders in her hands.

"How are you holding up? You look like you haven't slept for the past five days…" Belle asked.

"I haven't, to be honest…this kill has messed with my mind in way too many ways. I would usually go to the tavern, but even that…" Miranda started, but suddenly stopped.

Belle followed her gaze, only to see Frost looking grim, or rather disgruntled as he walked towards them from the southern corridor. Either way, something was wrong. Miranda walked up to him, Belle close behind. She laughed a little as Miranda asked him with a smirk,

"Outta mead, Frost? Cuz you look like someone pissed in your mead horn!"

"I would rather drink piss than deal with what's happening!" Frost growled.

"Oh, come on! Is Caleb raiding the mines again? Belle and I could go and beat him again; give him some religion! Hell you're more than welcome to come along!" Miranda said through a chuckle.

"He found, and is now speaking to the Heir, Miranda! _He found her!_" Frost snarled angrily.

Miranda's eyes widened with surprise. Belle looked clueless. Frost never got this angry; unless Caleb was involved. What was going on? Miranda almost let her jaw go agape, but she shook her head. Phobos found the heir to Meridian? Well, correction; Cedric found her and brought her to him. Phobos didn't do much on Earth. Like he could anyway…

"Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on!?" Belle asked with exasperation.

Silence rang out. Belle growled; she felt as clueless when she first arrived. She wanted to know! Miranda looked at Belle, but suddenly it clicked. If the princess was really here, Belle wasn't going to be seeing much of Phobos. She said softly as the bell for the morning rang out,

"Meet me, Frost and if I can get him Cedric at my chambers…We all need to explain to you what's going on!"

Belle nodded, and ran off to do as she was needed to do. At her receding form, Frost looked even grimmer. Belle was walking into a bear den with this, and judging by Miranda's saddened look, she knew it too. He softly asked before Belle disappeared,

"Are you sure that telling her is wise?" as soon as Belle was gone, he said firmly, "It could get her further into trouble than she already is!"

"I have a plan; but it means I have to lie to her…And I hate it!" Miranda growled.

Frost put a gentle hand upon Miranda's shoulder; it would've been a comical sight being as his hand was larger than her shoulder. But, he was trying to be serious. He knew Miranda usually didn't care about lying to people; Candracar only knew she was good at it! She could probably even deceive their master, and he could detect a lie before it was even spoken! Now she was faced with a quandary from the depths of Hell _he_ wouldn't want! He said softly, which still sounded gruff coming from him,

"We all have to do things we hate…Remember that, spiderling."

Miranda growled with aggravation. She also hated it more that Frost was right. She wanted to be upfront with Belle! But to implicate her that badly could be detrimental; because no one saw this coming to a pleasant end. The Guardians would either win, or lose. For most people of this plain, no one wanted Phobos to win. It would mean death to all things of this world and Earth; his prime target for now. She said with exasperation,

"Alright, help me figure out a lie! I don't want her getting hurt again!"

* * *

><p>Belle had gone down the hall, preparing herself for whatever had Miranda and Frost spooked. How bad could it be? She kept her head low, and her gaze averted. She heard a familiar laugh, and her eyes widened. That laugh; it came from an Earthen person! Someone she heard once or twice...someone Irma knew.<p>

Hiding within a corridor and beginning to gently dust a tapestry, she waited as she continued. She heard a set of footsteps coming through the corridor she just fled, and she looked through a glance as they came into view. Her eyes widened as the girl she knew only as Elyon came into view. She quickly averted her gaze; Elyon Brown was the heir?! That made her Phobos' sister! And she and Elyon didn't exactly see eye to eye; after all she wasn't exactly friendly with Cornelia either! All that crossed her thoughts were,

_Oh, man…what have I gotten myself into!? Was it wrong to acknowledge my feelings for him?_

She continued to dust the tapestry, hoping Elyon wouldn't look her way. She heard Phobos' footsteps right behind Elyon's and heard him explaining what paintings they were looking at. Belle saw opportunity to move away from the situation, and just as she moved back to start to walk away, the floor creaked. Belle froze; just when she thought she could get away. She quickly turned her back before Elyon could move to the entrance of the corridor to see her face, and Elyon asked her brother as she tried to see who Belle was,

"Who is that?"

Belle felt herself close her heart away as Phobos was silent as he tried to think of an excuse. He wanted to answer who Belle was to him, but what if everyone heard? He and Belle hadn't been overly familiar in public. Just in private; he hadn't thought this through! All he heard himself reply despite his heart raging at him for this was,

"She's a servant of the castle, Elyon."

Belle felt a slight shock at how distant he was making himself sound. She ignored her heart's pain at his lack of emotion. It was a little painful at the moment, and it still wouldn't go away as she desperately tried to keep on ignoring it. She wanted to move away, but she heard Elyon take a step forward, and her fear crept back in as Elyon said to her,

"Let me see your face."

Belle and Phobos went even more silent. Phobos felt a bit of hesitation; Elyon may have known Belle back on Earth. Would this be wise? Belle knew if she didn't do as she asked, she would make Phobos angry. She felt her heart break at this situation. She was put on the spot; something she usually hated. So she gracefully turned, awkwardly curtsied, and looked at Elyon. Hearing the expected gasp, Belle looked downwards, and Elyon said with slight outrage,

"What are _you _doing here?!"

"As Prince Phobos said, My Lady; I am a servant here." Belle said with forced humility.

Phobos watched Elyon's anger spike. They did know each other; and judging by the reaction Elyon was exhuming, they weren't friendly towards each other at all. He hastily ended the meeting with,

"Come Elyon, there is something I want to show you…."

He didn't even look back as he led her away, as Belle knew he wouldn't have. Belle turned, and quietly walked away herself. Walking turned to running, running was soon accompanied by tears. Tears she couldn't fight back. She hid behind the curtain of the southern balcony as she silently cried out her rage. Why didn't she stay away when she had the chance? Now Elyon knew she wasn't dead; and it probably gave the bitch great outrage that she was here.

The minutes passed, and Belle finally shut herself down. She wouldn't dare acknowledge those feelings of anger towards Elyon; but now she had to try to shut her feelings down for everything. She had made a grave error in indulging her forming feelings for Phobos. She looked outside to the rising moon. That one star much to her filling depression finally guttered out. She stood weakly, and began to head to Miranda's quarters.

But as her back turned the star she watched fade away reformed. Accompanied by four more surrounding it with their brilliant light the five of them lit the sky with their splendor. The star she had been relating to grew brighter, and the one that was dim shared in its glow; as if their unification saved it from eternal darkness.

As Belle made her way there, she walked by listening to the gossip. She heard whispers of how Elyon was the Light…whatever that meant. Her gloom was contagious for as she walked by, people suddenly avoided her. She didn't care at this point; her heart was still a little hurt over today's events, and she couldn't figure out why. She knew Phobos wouldn't dare acknowledge his feelings in public; she even respected it. Her thoughts shut down the raging emotions. She was now at Miranda's door. She raised a slim hand, customarily knocked and waited. Miranda appeared through the crack of the door and said with concern,

"You're late, and…"Looking at her face Miranda asked with shock, "Have you been crying?"

Belle nodded, and Miranda ushered her inside. Belle looked to see Frost and a very tired looking Cedric sitting by the fire place. Cedric's face weakly brightened at seeing Belle, but suddenly his brow furrowed in concern at seeing her tear stained face. Frost looked with some resignation, grabbed his mead horn, and offered it to Belle while asking,

"I take it you saw the heir?"

"Yep." Belle said coldly as she took the offer. Swigging a huge sip, she said with a cold distance, "She, Cornelia and I don't get along….Well, might as well get used to the fact she's here."

"You may not have to see her all that much! At least you might get some peace that way!" Miranda said with some hope.

Belle focused on the mead horn trying desperately to take Miranda's hopeful statement seriously. She finally handed it back to Frost, who took it and took a healthy sip. Dare she tell them about her history with Elyon? She and Elyon back in Sheffield weren't at all friendly. To the point where she got Uriah Dunn to put chewed gum into her hair and destroy her locker twice! All because of her and Cornelia fighting only once!

"If you guys knew how bad our history was, you would probably be a little shocked; Elyon and Cornelia made life uncomfortable." Belle said quietly.

Miranda picked up on her cold attitude, and felt a little worry. She was closing herself off. But, why? She went to ask why, when Cedric started explaining in less than honest terms why Elyon was here. Miranda after trying to figure out why Belle was growing more and more distant backed his plays, much to her chagrin. But when Frost fixed her with a steely glance, she kept the party line up. Belle listened, and said softly as she stood after they finished the explanation,

"Alright. Thank you for the explanation finally, and I just need to avoid her. That won't be too hard!"

"Where ya going?" Miranda asked.

"I'm going to sleep….It's going to be a long night." Belle responded with a yawn.

The four wished each other goodnight, and Belle walked to the Prince's chambers. She knocked after reaching them, and walked in. She wasn't surprised to see them empty. No signs of anything being disturbed. If she was going to detach herself from him (as Cedric slightly advised) now would be a good time to start. She grabbed a pillow, and put it upon the floor. Curling up, and laying in the moonbeam upon the floor, she slipped into sleep.

As she somehow expected, when the morning bell rang, Belle wasn't surprised to be alone when she woke up.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks were hell.<p>

Not only was Miranda expected to be a friend to Elyon, Cedric couldn't go anywhere without her being there. Belle was having a hard time adjusting to sleeping in the room alone, but she was managing for every night, Phobos never came back. She didn't know if Phobos was even trying to reach out to her anymore. And slowly, the pain of loss was ebbing away to quiet acceptance of she was alone once again. Even the nightmares she had been suffering were getting less violent, but still prevalent enough where sleep was questionable. Elyon however was thriving, flitting about like a butterfly in a garden, clueless about the spider's web lying in wait.

Belle one day was cleaning Phobos' chamber. After taking out the dirty linens and putting them in the basket that they belonged in, she started lugging them to the laundress. She heard a snide chuckle in the hallways ahead, and all she could do was ignore it. She saw Phobos making his way towards her, and her heart skipped a beat. His eyes lit up the way they always did when he saw her, but before he could stop to speak to her, he heard Elyon call,

"Phobos, I was wondering if we could go to the garden today! I wanted to see the roses!"

He grimaced, and looked at Belle with an emotion that almost looked apologetic as he turned and smiled. Belle looked at Elyon who was smiling pleasantly, but as Phobos began to lead her to the garden, Elyon turned and smirked malignantly at Belle who suddenly felt uneasy. She continued to the laundress, and she handed the baskets off. Trill appeared behind her, and asked with a chipper tone,

"Alright, there lovey?"

"Perfectly fine, Trill…" Belle responded dully.

She walked away from the area, leaving a somewhat concerned Trill.

Meanwhile in the gardens, Phobos and Elyon were looking through them. Elyon was near the roses while Phobos drew near the spot he had been trying to preserve, but suddenly his heart stopped in cold depression. To his shocked eyes beheld dead violets. All of them; gone. Not one remained. He was stunned; they were alive three weeks ago! What happened?! He crouched down, sending energy to bring them back to life. He was stunned as none of them came back. It finally clicked as to why the flowers had died; he had been neglecting them.

Almost as badly as he had been neglecting his Belle.

"No….."He whispered sadly.

Elyon wandered over, seeing his depressed face and sat down next to him. She looked at the dead flowers, and tried her hand at bringing them back. When they refused, Elyon let a brow rise. The flowers always came back; why wouldn't these do the same? She looked at Phobos' depressed face, and she remembered what Cedric had told her about violets, because she saw them outside the castle. He said they represented innocent love. Did this mean her brother was in love? Now she wanted to find out. She said with a somewhat distant tone,

"Eh, it is what it is….Violets don't belong in a garden this beautiful anyway..."

Phobos felt an outrage at his sister's words, but he successfully concealed it. If Elyon knew, well she probably wouldn't be so quick to speak like this. Maybe it was time to come forward about his and Belle's relationship. Dare he take that risk? He didn't realize he was playing into Elyon's hands. He kept his back to her as he said calmly, even though inside he felt anger at Elyon's callousness,

"Elyon, these flowers represented my love for a woman….They represented my love for Belle."

A stunned silence rang out from Elyon and Phobos. Elyon's eyes widened, and suddenly she felt something akin to a possessive and protective need to tell Phobos his choice of women sucked. Belle Chapman was dating her brother?! Oh, _hell _no! She had to do something about this! She calmly stood and said to her brother,

"I'm sorry they're dead…."

She began to walk away, but was slightly upset when Phobos didn't inquire as to where she was going. She left him there, with his dead flowers. She walked out of the garden, and remembering the first thing she did with Phobos' guidance, she began to change. Her body grew in height, and changed to a masculine one, her hair grew and her body became clothed in black and red robes. She looked in the glass of a wall mounted picture, only to take on her brother's devious smirk. She turned into him; perfect.

She wandered the halls, only to see Belle and Miranda separating from a brief ; she wasn't worried about that. Miranda saw Phobos, but something was up. His eyes were harsh; more so than normal. As he approached Belle, Miranda hid behind the corridor's entrance. Maybe this could be the breakthrough they needed. After all, Belle was feeling alone.

But suddenly as he stopped in front of Belle, Miranda's eyes widened as Belle was suddenly slapped harshly by him. Miranda felt a sudden rage, but she knew she could do nothing, but watch. Belle recoiled, keeping her gaze low, but tears stung her eyes as her feeling s for him were self-shredded. She retained composure, but now she knew everything she needed.

"I have no more use for you…I suggest you get out of my sight, harlot." He said with a cold look.

Belle looked at him with a sadness she knew only once. Her father was right after all; she would never find love, let alone a person to call her own. This man she trusted with secrets and her deepest self, mind and body had finally betrayed her. She knew for all these weeks it would come. Bowing stiffly, she said with a cold tone,

"As you wish, my prince…."

She turned and walked away, the mark turning red and stinging even further as she threatened to sob uncontrollably. Miranda waited for the prince to leave. As he finally turned and disappeared down the hall, Miranda ran to Belle, who collapsed into her arms, finally crying her broken heart out of her eyes. Miranda glared death at the Prince's back, but there was not much she could do. She held Belle for hours it seemed, until she led Belle back to her chambers, and made her lie down so she could finally fall asleep. There she sat, at the edge of her bed waiting for the prince to call her. She was going to kill him for this.

* * *

><p>The violets turned black and crumbled away in the wind. Phobos though, was busy building a bouquet out of some of every flower he could find for Belle. He needed to bring them back together! he had been trying but finally gave up when Elyon took up most of his time. But as he reached the jasmine to pick a few, a knock of anger sounded upon the garden door. Surprised, he commanded,<p>

"Enter."

Cedric slithered within to this beautiful paradise in his naga form, an enraged look upon his face. He had just been to Miranda's and heard what the prince had done. He knew Phobos was cold, but this, this was the worst he could have done. She truly had feelings for him! He glanced upon the bouquet in his hands, and he growled,

"You think that's going to fix this? After humiliating her like that, My Prince?"

Phobos raised a brow. He looked at Cedric, who reverted back to human form. His eyes narrowed; what was Cedric talking about? He asked with a curious tone,

"What do you mean, Lord Cedric?"

"Don't play coy with me, my prince! I saw the damage you have done! She loved you! Are you really trying to destroy everyone you meet?!" Cedric snapped.

The way Cedric was reacting to his question was making Phobos confused. He knew Belle and his relationship was strained, but he was going to remedy that now. What happened that made Cedric so angry? Looking into the snake man's eyes, he was shocked to still see rage. Whatever happened was extremely malignant.

"Cedric, _what are you talking about?_" Phobos demanded in confusion.

"You don't remember striking Belle and calling her a harlot?" Cedric demanded with a venomous tone.

Phobos' eyes widened. He dropped the bouquet and it scattered to the ground to be carried away by the breeze. Was Cedric being serious? Was this a sick joke? He felt an extreme shock become followed by rage. He snarled at Cedric with outrage,

"I never did that!"

"My Prince, Miranda witnessed you doing so! Belle also has a mark upon her face that matches _your_ hand! How do you explain this!?" Cedric retorted heatedly.

Phobos felt his thoughts whirl and spiral. He was here the whole time; there was no way he struck her. He would never do that! And call her a harlot?! He would never! He wanted to tell Cedric he was wrong, but suddenly, something began to click. He_ was _here; that means someone glamoured themselves to look like him to do this. As it all came crashing down, he felt a rage like never before as he muttered out,

"Elyon…"

"What's Elyon got to do with this?" Cedric said taken aback.

"_Everything_…" Phobos growled.

Cedric went to ask what drugs Phobos had ingested, but suddenly, it made sense. He couldn't find Elyon anywhere, and she was supposed to be here in the garden. It clicked in, and Cedric's eyes wet serpentine once more with anger. The bitch drove them apart….He growled out,

"What do you want done to the little brat?"

"Nothing. I will make her pay the old fashioned way; I'll make her watch me enjoy Belle's company. After all; jealousy is a harsh teacher." Phobos responded coldly. Looking at Cedric, he asked, "Where is Belle?"

"She's with Miranda, but I think you might want me to come with you; Miranda wants to hurt you in ways I've never heard the spider plan…."

Phobos picked up the one flower that didn't scatter away. A single pink rose was now within his hands, being dethorned as he made his way to Miranda's chambers, Cedric close behind. They drew near Miranda's chambers and the feeling of rage washed over them. Phobos stood defiant of it, and he neared the door. Cedric cautiously approached, and knocked. Miranda snarled through the door,

"Why is _he _here Cedric!?"

"Miranda, it wasn't him…Someone glamoured themselves to look like him." Cedric responded grimly.

"Who would be that…."Miranda paused and suddenly exploded with, "THAT LITTLE BITCH!"

Cedric gently opened the door, letting him and Phobos into her chambers. Belle looked at them both, and Belle looked away and turned her back upon them all as the door shut. Phobos approached, and sat next to her on the bed. Belle felt her heart scream in rage as it broke further into little pieces. He had the nerve to do this. He smacked her and called her names! Phobos felt his own heart break; he let this happen. He did this to them. He whispered softly, feeling tears threaten his own eyes,

"Belle please….It wasn't me who did this..I would never say that to you, and I would rather impale myself than strike you. Please.." Feeling tears sting his eyes as he grabbed her hand and gently held it, he said softly through crystal tears, "Please let me back in…I love you…."

Belle felt her heart skip and dance in shock. She turned with tears in her own eyes. She was stunned; he said the words no man ever said to her and she thought would never say. Was this another lie? She gazed into his teary eyes, and saw the softness that she was familiar with. The Phobos she knew and dare she say it, was in love with as well. The real one; the one she cared about. She asked breathless and threatening to sob,

"What did you say?"

"_I love you…_" Phobos responded with sincerity.

She couldn't stop herself. She moved into his embrace, and tightly hugged him. He returned the hug, and he vowed to himself in the embrace that he wouldn't let her go again. Cedric was stunned, and Miranda was almost teary eyed herself at the emotions. Their tearful joy was catchy. She felt her hand grip Cedric's and they both blushed like school children.

Even as Phobos took her by the hand out of the room, he refused to release it and kept her by his side as they walked to his chambers. The servants were shocked as he gently pulled her into a kiss. He didn't care anymore. He wanted what happened today to never happen again. He led her into the chamber, where as they finally moved inside, the door shut with a click.

* * *

><p>In the moonlight of the garden, the plants whispered in delight and joy as the carpet of violets regrew, and bloomed with happy vigor at last. and the five stars within the sky formed the single petal of a rose.<p>

_WOO! Started at five AM, ended at Midnight! And yes, Phobos went OOC on you all….blame Elyon and lack of caffeine! _

_Enjoy, my pretties! _


End file.
